Project Y
by WriterFrantic16
Summary: The story of how unique duelists intertwine themselves with destiny and with each other. From a samurai duelist to a psychic of overwhelming power, this story will interweave the fates of these characters for the greater good for the world, for the universe, but more importantly...for themselves.
1. Y, 1

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its affiliates.

Warnings: Hint of blood and violence in this chapter.

Chapter 1: Modern Day Samurai

Neo Domino City. The city of the future.

Located on mainland Japan, it was described to be the most ideal place to live in the world. As a result, the city became reserved for more of the upper class, with the middle class barely able to gain a foothold in the city.

Ironically, the riches Neo Domino bought with its citizens also created one of the poorest areas of the world, Sattelite. Even with the opening of the Daedalus Bridge, the ruined sector still remained below world society norms.

While it is true that Sattelite was now actually habitable and somewhat better due to investors, the bare fact is that the region still remains an underprivileged area, with Yugioh the only true escape route. Perhaps that's why the game is so popular in Neo Domino city…

But nonetheless, this isn`t a documentary on Neo Domino. This is a story about a group of unlikely friends, about a mixing of personalities, about a team of determined duelists who had the power to change the future. The most interesting part? All of them were pretty much minors.

The fate of the world in the hands of young people. Sounds legit. Let`s begin!

O O O

The store keeper was busy wiping down the countertop, trying to clean all the filth off the cheap plaster. Despite the furious effort, the dirt and whatever else was on the surface refused to come off. Just like everything in Satellite.

The aging man gave up and tossed the rag onto the practically empty cashier. Even though he still had faithful customers like the blue haired boy in the back, the store keeper found it harder every day to believe that his store would survive. Crime was going up, so prices rose as well. Some of his fellow colleagues had already succumbed to the pressure and left for a better life somewhere else.

However, the store keeper could not bear to move away. He was the only one who could help the people in this area. So, he stayed for the sake of pity.

"Hands in the air! Nobody move!" A trio of masked men with duffel bags barged into the store, guns blazing.

On second thought, maybe it was a bad idea.

"Don`t hurt me!" The store keeper cried, dropping to his knees. "Please, just take anything you want and leave!"

"That`s Draco`s plan." While one of the robbers pushed the elderly man against the wall, the other two started exploring the store, taking a look around.

"What the- There`s only food here!" One of the men shouted, taking a box and stomping on it in frustration. "Dammit!"

"Don`t!" The store keeper gasped. "That food is for the- ARGH!"

"Shut it!" The boss of the robbers cocked his gun. He was ironically the least disguised of the three: wearing only a small mouth mask to cover his scarred face, blue eyes, and black hair. "There`s one thing Draco knows all shops sell: cards. Keep looking!"

"Right boss!" The two eventually struck jackpot: a shelf in the back with a few card packs. Only one problem: somebody was already at it.

Meet Shizaru Oda. The Samurai Duelist.

Shizaru was trying to remember which pack the card was in: Samurai Assault or Storm of Ragnarok? Packs with Six Samurai cards were hard to come by these days, and he had already checked several stores in Neo Domino city to no success. Damn Illusionary Industries for keeping them out of production!

Lucky for him, he spotted this old shop. Unluckily for him, he didn`t even notice the robbers and was wearing his Neo Domino outfit: a white samurai robe with a matching white slacks but with a stark black shirt.

An outfit that practically screamed "I HAVE MONEY, COME ROB ME!"

"Dammit, which one?" Shizaru growled, comparing the two packs.

"Hey you! Hands in the air!" One of the robbers slammed a gun barrel into the back of Shizaru`s short blue hair. "This is a robbery!"

"Excuse me, but- what?"

"A robbery! Give me your wallet and phone now!" The robber pressed his gun harder against Shizaru`s head and caused the 17 year old boy to scowl.

"You are robbers? As in people who steal stuff from others?" Shizaru casually asked, dropping both card packets back onto the shelf.

"What are you, deaf?" The robber pulled back his gun and prepared to pistol whip Shizaru. It never carried through.

The minute Shizaru felt the gun barrel pull away, he made his move. The blue haired boy slid his left foot backwards in an arc, dropping his height and knocking down the robber behind him. At the same time, Shizaru placed his left hand into the back of his robe and took out a hidden bamboo sword sheathe, drawing an elegant sapphire colored katana. Without any mercy, Shizaru slashed downwards at the robber, careful to make it only a shallow wound.

The robber`s scream of pain echoed throughout the store as the steel sliced through the skin with no effort. No organs damaged, but plenty of pain and bleeding. Good, no lawsuit.

"What the heck!" The other robber aimed and fired repeatedly. Since bullets can`t really be sliced mid-air like the movies, Shizaru rotated to his right, effectively dodging the projectiles and moving close enough to his target. With a single slice, Shizaru`s blade shattered the handgun. Another slice brought the robber down screaming and clutching at his bleeding arm.

"Hmph. Too easy." Shizaru flicked his blade, cleaning it of blood before putting the sharpened steel back. Not one drop of blood on his clothing. Excellent.

He carefully made his way towards the front of the store when the boss ambushed him.

Hearing another click, Shizaru turned and drew back out his katana, its tip barely reaching the final robber`s neck.

"Give up and Draco will let you go," The boss whispered, emerging from the right. He had heard the gun shots and screams (who wouldn`t?), creeping up to Shizaru. His own hand gun was now aimed directly at Shizaru`s head.

"Return the goods you have stolen and you can go," Shizaru icily responded, holding his katana tip over the robber`s neck.

The stalemate lasted for another minute before both of them pulled away, keeping their weapons trained on each other.

"I say we decide this over a duel," Shizaru offered, his eyes never blinking. "Loser will have to comply to the winner`s demands."

"Do you think that Draco will lose?" The robber sinisterly grinned. "Draco is more skilled then his men. Draco will win quite easily against you boy."

"You`re the boss then? That`s good." Shizaru motioned to the gun. "Drop that and I`ll put away my sword."

"Does it look like Draco was born yesterday to you?" The robber snapped at Shizaru. "Drop your weapon first!"

"I can`t; however, I swear upon my honor as a samurai that I will not attack."

"…hmph!" Draco placed the gun on the floor and rummaged around in a duffel bag. He took out a battered looking duel disk and placed it on his arm. "Draco is ready!"

Shizaru, true to his word, sheathed his sword. However, he took the wooden sheathe and held over a weird metal brace on his left hand before twisting the sword inwards. Immediately, the sword sheathe extended itself and formed a semicircle, five card slots clearly appearing. The strange contraption attached to the metal brace and stuck on, firmly on Shizaru`s left arm. Lights blinked on as Shizaru activated his custom duel disk, his deck already placed in the middle of the semicircle.

"That must be worth a lot of money…" Draco greedily said, already eyeing the custom duel disk. "Draco wants! Draco will have!"

"I doubt it."

"DUEL!"

**Draco: **8000

**Shizaru: **8000

"Draco is first!" The robber drew and grunted in annoyance when looking at his hand. "Set three cards, one monster and two defenses. End."

"Hm...draw!" Shizaru looked at his new card and looked at the facedown cards. "An unknown ambush or a clever bluff…I`ll find out what it is! I activate the Six Samurai United!"

The area in front of Shizaru distorted and mist formed, floating in the air as a weird symbol. "Now, I activate the effect of my monster. Since I have no monsters but you do, I special summon Elder of the Six Samurai in defense mode!"

Shizaru placed the card on a monster slot and pixels appeared on the battlefield. The pixels grew closer together and bonded with each other, forming the image of a machine. The machine was easily a few years old and there looked to be an aging elder man inside the box (ATK/400 DEF/0).

"0 defense? Draco is amused! Draco can smash!"

"Well, first of all, he adds a Bushido counter to Six Samurai United!" As Shizaru spoke, the mist distorted and twisted, eventually forming a single line in front of Shizaru. _Ichi_, the Japanese symbol for one. "Then, I normal summon the Legendary Six Samurai- Kageki in attack mode!"

The field shook as digital lightning struck down onto the floor, causing a mighty boom as it collided with the hard surface. As the flash of light died away, a man with four arms- two organic, two mechanical- stood in the blast area, wielding two katanas (ATK/200 DEF/2000).

"Effect monster, so Draco activates Pulling the Rug!" A facedown rose up and revealed itself as a counter trap as Draco flipped the card over on his battered duel disk. "Monster is negated and destroyed!"

"Ngh!" Shizaru shielded himself as the newly summoned samurai fell through a fake trap door that suddenly appeared, bracing as the monster exploded into pixels. "An unfortunate sacrifice, but I still get a second Bushido counter!"

The mist shimmered and distorted once more, this time forming two straight lines. _Ni,_ the symbol for two in Japanese. The mist seemed to glow as it hovered in the air.

"By sending Six Samurai United with two bushido counters to the graveyard, I can draw two cards!" The mist in front of Shizaru dissipated and Shizaru added two more cards to his hand. "I now activate the spell Asceticism of the Six Samurai! I choose one Six Samurai on the field and bless it, summoning another samurai with an identical attack to the field!"

A jug appeared and poured water over the machine on the field, causing it to shine. The water then took the form of a kneeling foot soldier, the water dissolving as a real warrior was revealed underneath the liquid. However, if one were to peer closely at the new monster, they would see it lacked luster unlike its counterpart (ATK/400 DEF/1800).

"I summon Kagemusha of the Six Samurai in defense mode!" The Samurai Duelist announced. "Now, go my Shadow! Tune up Elder of the Six Samurai!"

The kneeling warrior nodded and disappeared, leaving behind two glowing white rings. The rings then surrounded Elder, turning the man and machine into three glowing white stars. "With the honor and power of your brethren, arise! Syncro summon, Legendary Six Samurai Shi-En!"

The rings and stars disappeared, replaced with a tall man in full samurai armor. However, he had mechanical wings on his back and circuits crisscrossed his bamboo armor. The masked man then drew his weapon, an elongated and elegant katana, raising it high above his head in a rallying manner (ATK/2500 DEF/1400).

"Such power…Draco wants!" The man`s eyes seemed to glitter with malice as he looked at the armored warrior on the field. "Draco will get!"

"Don`t count your chickens before they hatch! Shi-En, attack!" The warrior shouted approval and dashed towards the facedown card, using his wings to accelerate faster.

"Hah, another trap card activate! Sakuretsu Armor!" The facedown monster suddenly grew spikes on the back of the card, threatening to impale Shi-En. Just before they struck, a blast of power from Shi-En`s blade struck the spikes, disintegrating them instantly. "WHAT?"

"Shi-En will not allow such cards to activate without his approval!" Shizaru grinned. "Thus, he will negate Sakuretsu Armor and destroy it…along with your facedown monster!"

"Argh!" Draco grunted as the blade of Shi-En sunk through the card, easily destroying it and sending it to the grave. "Draco activates card effect! Needle Worm! Sends top five cards of your deck directly to the graveyard, out of your reach!"

"Hmph." Shizaru watched as five resources from his deck disappear, noting the loss of some samurais. "I`ll end my turn with two facedown cards! Your move!"

"Draco is pleased!" The man drew his card and glanced at his hand. "Book of Moon! Shi-En will now be in facedown defense position!"

A small book appeared on the field as Draco played the spell card, opening up. Immediately, holographic words spiraled out of mystical book and circled Shi-En, whispering words of how one should protect the weak.

"Do not bow down to these lies! Negate that card!" Shi-En raised his blade and sliced easily through the magic, his royal power silencing those who opposed him.

"Hah, you lose now! Lightning Vortex!" Draco revealed another spell card in his hand. "Draco will discard Flying Kamakiri #1 and destroy all face-up monsters on the field!"

"!" Shizaru covered himself as lightning came down and struck Shi-En directly, blasting the powerful syncro monster into smithereens. "Dammit…"

"Draco has two Insect monsters in the graveyard! Remove two! Special summon Doom Dozer in attack mode!" The robber took out the only two monsters in his graveyard and placed them in his duffel bag, never intending to use them again in the duel.

On the field, pixels formed to make it look as though the ground was cracking apart, letting a giant centipede-like creature to emerge from wherever it burrowed. The bug type monster screeched and rose up on half its body, its mandible ominously biting the air with no reason (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"Squash puny duelist! Attack Doom Dozer!" The man directed the creature and successfully got it to charge at Shizaru, biting him in the arm. While it was all digital and there was no actual monster, the mind believed there was something biting and thus, perceived pain.

"Argh!"

**Draco: **8000

**Shizaru: **5200

"Doom Dozer effect! Mill top card of your deck!"

"Not again…" Shizaru watched another one of his prized cards disappear into the graveyard, cursing at the inability to use it.

"Draco needs no defense! Draco ends!"

"About time. Draw!" _Another Asceticism? I just need one more card then!_ "I set a facedown monster and another facedown card before ending my turn!"

"Weak! Draco draws!" Thinking that Shizaru was too stressed to notice, Draco drew two instead of one card. Why?

Well, I`m sure four facedown cards would make any rogue duelist a little antsy. Or determined.

"Draco summons Chainsaw Insect in attack mode!" The ground next to Doom Dozer erupted, revealing an ant-like creature scurrying out of its little hole. Instead of normal mandibles, it had a chainsaw for a mouth (ATK/2400 DEF/0).

"Chainsaws. Great," Shizaru muttered, carefully scanning the field.

"Attack!" Draco ordered and his minions responded. Chainsaw Insect was first, and it tore apart Shizaru`s facedown monster, a kneeling samurai in purple armor (ATK/1500 DEF/1500).

"Thank you for your sacrifice Shinai!" Shizaru called out, drawing a card due to Chainsaw Insect`s effect.

"Doom Dozer, attack directly!"

"This biting will seriously get old soon…" Shizaru complained as the monster bit him again.

**Draco: **8000

**Shizaru: **2400

"Draco sets a card! Draco wins!"

"Wait…another card…?" Shizaru mentally counted the turns and moves and immediately found a serious problem with the card number. "You have one too many cards! You cheated!"

"So what? You still lose to Draco!"

"You have no honor!" Shizaru shouted, furious at the lack of sportsmanship. "For that, you will suffer a most shameful defeat! Draw!"

_It`s over!_

"I activate Gateway of the Six!" Shizaru announced, slamming the card into the spell/trap slot.

_Gateway of the Six_

_Continuous Spell Card_

_Each time a "Six Samurai" monster(s) is Normal or Special Summoned, place 2 Bushido Counters on this card. You can remove Bushido Counters from your side of the field to activate these effects.  
● 2 Counters: Target 1 face-up "Six Samurai" or "Shien" Effect Monster; that target gains 500 ATK until the End Phase.  
● 4 Counters: Add 1 "Six Samurai" monster from your Deck or Graveyard to your hand.  
● 6 Counters: Target 1 "Shien" Effect Monster in your Graveyard; Special Summon that target._

On the field, a massive wooden gate emerged from the ground, chunks of dirt falling as it rose to the ceiling of the small store. It was huge, appearing behind Shizaru to allow room to see. On the entryway was an electronic lock, emblazoned with the mystical crest of the Six Samurai.

"That`s…huge…big money value…" Draco said in a trance.

"Yes, but it`ll never be yours! I summon Hand of the Six Samurai!"

The gates did not open, but it reacted to the summoning. A hooded women clutching a dagger appeared on the field, flames flickering around her (ATK/1600 DEF/1000). A gong sounded and the electronic lock glowed, not brightly, but it was a start.

"Two Bushido counters! I activate one of my facedown cards, another Asceticism of the Six Samurai!" Shizaru pointed to a facedown and it revealed itself as a spell card.

A jug of water appeared once again and poured its contents over the hooded woman. As the flames around her grew brighter, the water took form of a samurai with two sickles. The liquid soon evaporated as flames ignited from within the water, a red armored samurai bearing two curved blades appearing on the field (ATK/1600 DEF/1000).

"A…girl?" Draco gawked at the new monster on the field and laughed. "Impressive last stand! Draco likes!"

"Oh, I`m pretty sure you won`t like Legendary Six Samurai- Mizuho." Shizaru grinned evilly and pointed at his Gateway of the Six. It was now glowing brighter than last time, but not as brilliantly as it could`ve. "Four Bushido counters now! But the numbers aren`t done yet. Since Mizuho is on the field, I special summon a Legendary Six Samurai- Shinai onto the field from my hand!"

A samurai in purple armor appeared again on the field, acting as if it never died the first time. Water gathered in its hands and formed two items, the liquid falling away as it revealed duel studded clubs. The monster swung them experimentally and threateningly before nodding with approval.

"Gateway is up to six now!" Shizaru laughed in anticipation of what was to come. The seal was now shining very brightly, easily at full power. "I activate its effect! By removing four Bushido counters, I can call up a Six Samurai monster into my reserves!"

On cue, the seal lost some power and fell back to a dim illumination, but not before opening halfway. Shizaru was allowed to take his deck out of the slot and fan through it, taking a certain samurai from the deck. "I add another Shinai to my hand!" And with that, the gateway completely closed and sealed itself back up.

"Boring. Draco has already won."

"Not yet! I special summon Shinai onto the field with his effect!" A doppelganger of the purple armored samurai appeared on the field and matched its twin`s actions. "Gateway is back up to four. Now, I activate Mizuho`s effect! By sacrificing one of her comrades, she will destroy a card on the field!"

"What? No!" Draco watched in horror as Hand of the Six Samurai was engulfed in flames…along with his Chainsaw Insect. Both monsters disintegrated, registered as sacrificed and destroyed in the duel.

"But I`m not done yet! I`ll activate Gateway again, bring another Mizuho to my hand, and special summon her since Shinai is on the field!" Shizaru smiled as he picked the monster from the deck and directly summon the female samurai onto the field.

"More women! Draco now likes!"

"Heh, but now I use my new Mizuho to destroy Doom Dozer, and the tribute will be…Shinai!" The two monster disappeared in a burst of fire and all Draco had left now was his facedown card.

"Draco still win. Facedown will devastate you!"

"Then I might as well get rid of it! I activate Shinai`s secondary effect! When tributed, Shinai will give me a last gift of a new Six Samurai from my deck." Shizaru flicked through his deck and laughed. "Since I have two already on the field, let`s get Mizuho number three out with her own effect!"

"Okay, maybe Draco don`t like scary woman now."

"Too late. I`ll get rid of your final card with Mizuho once again!" Shizaru didn`t even bother searching his deck for another samurai with Shinai. The duel was over.

"NO!" Draco gasped as his facedown was revealed and destroyed within the blink of an eye.

"Mirror Force! You little cheat!" Shizaru growled before making his last play. "Facedown activate! Double-Edged Sword Technique! I special summon two Hands of the Six Samurai in attack mode! And before you asked, you gave me my second hand from all that milling!"

"No! This can`t be!" Draco watched in horror as Shizaru`s field was now locked, filled with angry looking warriors.

"Oh, but it is. Like a samurai, a precise strike of 8000 damage." Shizaru gestured once and they attacked without any further order.

**Draco: **0

**Shizaru: **2400

"Draco is furious! Draco will not give up!" The robber furiously hollered and dove for his abandoned handgun…only to scream as a shallow wound opened up on his chest. He collapsed, unconscious from the incredible stimulus of pain.

"Hmph. That takes care of that!" Shizaru flicked a ruby colored blade up in the air and sheathed it, satisfied that blood no longer stained its crimson beauty. He deactivated his duel disk and placed the two sheathes back in the back of his robe, where nobody, especially Sector Security, would see.

Speaking of which, he heard sirens. The neighbors must`ve heard the gunshots and called the police…

"Dammit! I didn`t get my cards!" Shizaru ranted, quickly stepping over the unconscious body and running to the front of the store….only to get stopped.

"Here." Shizaru turned and saw the elderly shop keeper holding out the two packs of cards he was looking at. "You deserve it. Thank you."

"…ah, it was no problem!" Shizaru replied, taking both packets and stuffing them in his pocket. "Now, I should really get…"

"One last question,." The store keeper firmly said.

Shizaru sighed in exasperation but nodded. One question couldn`t hurt could it?

"Why did you summon all women warriors the last turn to defeat him?"

Sputtering in embarrassment, Shizaru just shook his head and ran.

O O O

"All three robbers successfully detained captain."

"Good, let`s get them back to HQ for interrogation and lock up."

"Yes sir!" Captain Lance Hikari of Sector Security sighed as his subordinate took off, entirely exhausted by recent events. First, the unknown demolition of an abandoned building. Then a break in at a building marked for demolition. Now a vigilante on the loose?

God, he needed a break.


	2. Y, 2

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its affiliates.

Warnings: Violence.

Chapter 2: Headphone Agent

NEXT Laboratories. A company with several different research buildings in Neo Domino city, and even more buildings in Sattelite. It is a mysterious company with practically no public reputation or any trace of sorts. None whatsoever.

As a result, it was baffling for law enforcers to find a way to hit the company for several illegal activities. They had no power when it came to dealing with NEXT Laboratories, no solid evidence ever presenting itself. And when evidence did pop up, it would always mysteriously disappear before it was brought to court. NEXT was legally immune to everything.

That`s why he was assigned to the task force. If legal legislature couldn`t get them pinned, sometimes a deal with the devil was necessary.

_Clang!_ The metal grating fell to the floor easily as Erik propelled himself out of the air vent, listening carefully for any alarm that might have triggered. His ears underneath his black headphones were alert, taking in every sound that was around the building. No signs of alarm. Good.

His face illuminated only by the glow of blue computer screens, Erik Hastings bent over the keyboard in the dark room and began typing basic commands into the computer. His black hair spiked upwards, so he didn`t need to blow it out of his face or anything. His long sleeved black and red jacket would impede his typing, but his two grey wrist devices prevented them from doing so. His boots, despite being made of a metallic compound, made no noise on the floor as Erik dropped to his knees, his black eyes carefully searching and finding a USB port.

"Found the port. Expect the firewall in a few seconds," Erik spoke out loud, making sure his small microphone was still attached to the upturned collar he wore. "Confirm?"

"Confirm," A voice told him from his black headphones. "Ready to receive."

"Inserting now." Erik held his right hand to the port and rotated the corresponding ring with his left hand, careful to select the one with a USB sticking out. He clenched his hand and the device shot from top of the ring and into the port. Perfect shot.

"Got it. Breaking through firewall now." Erik nodded in satisfaction and retracted the USB, the virus filled device stored safely in his wrist ring.

"I should get going…" The infiltrator muttered, looking around for any other important clues he may have missed. Seeing none, he took it as his cue to leave and grabbed the edge of the air vent.

Without any warning, an alarm blared to life and a metal curtain slammed shut on the air vents. And onto Erik`s gloved fingers.

"Ow!" Erik whispered, quickly removing his digits before they got severed. "The heck happened Cora?"

"Oh, breaking radio silence are we now? Turns out that they found the guy Desmond knocked out in the back entrance. They`re going to find me soon. Get out of there now!"

"Got it!" And with that, Erik slammed out of the server room, his eyes blinking in surprise at the bright white hallways. However there were no guards despite the alarm annoyingly blaring through his headphones. Strange. But he took it as coming down to luck as he ran. Hopefully, his luck would hold.

"Hey you! Intruder! Hands in the air!" A guard that oh-so continently walked through the hallway in front of him had spotted Erik and was now standing in the way, holding one hand up with the other on the holster

"Bah!" Erik snarled and turned around, intent on finding another exit.

"What the-? Stop!" Great, more guards behind him. Time for a distraction.

His left wrist gauntlet activated as his right hand pressed it and ejected two minute canisters at the floor at Erik`s feet. Immediately, Erik brought his headphones downwards so that the thick top covered his eyes from exposure as the flash bangs went off while the speakers themselves still covered his ears. And of course, he closed his eyes as his two flash bangs went off.

"Argh! My eyes!"

"I can`t hear anything! What a noise!"

"Where`s the intruder?!" The guards who were all glaring at Erik a few seconds ago were now stumbling around, trying to find some form of orientation. Casually, Erik returned his headphones to the originally position and ran, unfazed by the loud noise and bright light.

Of course, the guards soon recovered and chased after Erik`s dark figure through the bright white hallways of NEXT. But not for long, as Erik slammed through a grey doorway and emerged into an alley of Sattelite. Well, it wasn`t an alley as much as it was a dead end, fences on either side of him. Brick wall in front of him, angry guards right behind. No escape but upwards. Sounds fine to him.

"Give up!" The guards had finally caught up to Erik, but it was too late. Erik had already activated his gauntlet again, deploying two more miniscule canisters. The guards, learning from his last trick, immediately shielded their eyes and covered their ears.

Unfortunately for them, this was not a flash bang. It was a capsule full of coughing gas.

Loud coughing was heard as Erik disappeared in white smoke, the guards completely helpless as they tried to find him in the white cloud. They couldn`t because he was already gone.

The moment the smoke cloud deployed, Erik was already spinning his right wrist ring, changing it to a small grapple hook. He pulled his collar upwards with his left hand, carefully covering his mouth from the coughing gas. Aiming at the nearby civilian building, he shot the grapple upwards. The hook and rope easily snagged onto the targeted rooftop ledge. Once secured, the wrist ring began reeling the rope in, bringing Erik upwards as he was the path of least resistance. The boy shot out of the cloud and landed on the rooftop like a cat.

"Way too easy..." Erik muttered, unhooking his grapple from the side and letting the reel complete its action. "Cora, I`m out. Come to the … south building. I`ll meet you there."

"It`ll take some time! I`m…dammit! Reveal three Spellbooks! Priestess, special summon!"

"Oh great. I`ll see if-" As if he expected, Erik dodged the sword slash nimbly, using one hand to flip himself backwards as the new enemy growled sinisterly at him. Expecting to see a heavily armored guard or something, Erik got ready to dash past the attacker.

Unfortunately, he didn`t see the crack in the earth until it was too late. Dark energy blasted at Erik from below, knocking him backwards into the air from the sheer force of the attack.

"Ngh-!" Carefully twisting, Erik managed to land back on his feet despite the sores all over his body. His vision got blurry and there was the taste of iron in his mouth. Dammit, his senses was going to shut down soon.

Instinctively, Erik reached into his pocket and took out a small white medical syringe. Without any hesitation, he plunged it into his right arm and pushed, letting the medicine flow in before discarding the medical tool. The iron taste disappeared, his ability to see cleared up, and that was when he got a good look at his opponent.

Evilswarm Catastor in the flesh. Well, this escape just turned into a giant mess.

"Who are you?" An electronic voice asked. Behind the living duel monster, a masked and hooded figure stepped out into the line of sight. The clothes were all black like Erik`s, but unlike him they were pitch black, with no other color. The only item of any color on the new opponent was their mask, a white mask with weird black markings. Only crimson yellow eyes shone naturally through the disguise. "Identify yourself and surrender." Evilswarm Catastor growled and raised its blade to add emphasis to the order.

"Bah. As if," Erik`s muffled voice responded, his mouth still covered by his large collar. Seeing no other way out, the headphone wearing boy sighed and activated his right wrist ring, spinning it to the last item: a deck.

He took out the deck from his right wrist ring and slammed it into a corresponding slot in his left gauntlet, activating the device`s final function. The outer side of the gauntlet popped out and extended itself, creating a wedged shape field. The slots from which his smoke grenades and flash bangs came from widened up and narrowed, forming his graveyard. Within seconds, his left gauntlet had transformed into a duel disk.

"Come on. Let`s duel," Erik growled, his right hand already hovering over the deck.

"Challenge me? A foolish and effort wasting maneuver." Nonetheless, Evilswarm Catastor disappeared and the robed figure revealed a duel disk on their left hand. "I accept."

"DUEL!"

**Erik: **8000

**?: **8000

"I`m going first!" Erik drew his top card and his eyes narrowed. _Perfect!_ "I set three facedown cards and summon Card Car D!"

Three facedown cards appeared on Erik`s front, left, and right sides as a small flat car roared onto the field, barely stopping for enough time to see its stats (ATK/800 DEF/400). "Now rev it back up Card Car! Effect activate!" Erik shouted and the vehicle responded by driving back off in the direction it appeared. In the smoke haze it left behind, Erik drew two cards and passed the turn over to his mysterious opponent.

"What a weak turn. I draw." The cloaked figure took the card with precise movements and stared at it. "I summon Rescue Rabbit."

A small white and grey rabbit appeared on the field and blinked, its hard hat tilting sideways a bit (ATK/300 DEF/100). "Activate effect. Rabbit banishes itself and two level four monster of the same name will be special summoned." The cute monster blew a whistle around its neck and disappeared, replaced two not-so-nice looking monsters (ATK/1950 DEF/650).

"I summon two Evilswarm Heliotrophes," The enemy calmly said and held out their hand. "XYZ summon! I overlay both Heliotrophes for a higher monster: Evilswarm Ophion!"

"Bah!" Erik spat as the two warriors transformed into dark black orbs of evil power. The dual orbs circled each other before an evil dragon appeared, roaring as it slammed onto the field (ATK/2550 DEF/1650). "I`ll activate my trap card: Fiendish Chain!"

The dragon that was proud of itself a few moments ago was now wrapped up in green smoldering chains. The two black orbs dimmed as the magical chains snapped all energy from their master. The cloaked duelist watched their monster struggle for a while with amusement before plucking a single card from their hand. "Chain to Fiendish Chain. Activate Infestation Pandemic!"

The green chains on the dragon lost power and fell on the floor, still there but having no effect anymore on the XYZ monster. Thus, the dragon roared once more with no restrictions. "Activate Evilswarm Ophion`s effect! I detach and get to add an Evilswarm card to my hand."

Erik swore bitterly as he saw them add another Infestation Pandemic to their hand. It would throw a wrench in all his plans if this immunity to spells and traps continued. "Alright, might as well activate it now. Waboku! I take no damage this turn."

"Hmph, you`re very lucky. Set two facedowns and end turn." At that word, the green chains rose back up and wrapped back around the corrupted dragon, nullifying its effects once more.

"C`mon, I need something to break that combo…" Erik grumbled, drawing his next card. "I`ll make do though. I summon Armageddon Knight!"

A battered warrior with a red bandanna appeared on the field and brandished his rusty sword (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). "His effect allows me to send one dark monster in my deck directly to my graveyard!" The sword glowed pitch black with darkness and the faint outline of a monster was seen before it disappeared.

"Inzektors…another dark entity…" The figure muttered as they recognized Inzektor Ladybug just sent to the grave.

"Sometimes, the shadows just seem to stretch forever like this combo!" Erik held up another spell card. "I activate Foolish Burial! I send Inzketor Dragonfly to the graveyard! And now, I`ll bring it back using this facedown Call of the Haunted!"

_Inzektor Dragonfly_

_LV 3 ATK/1000 DEF/1800_

_Once per turn: You can equip 1 "Inzektor" monster from your hand or Graveyard to this card. If an Equip Card(s) is sent to your Graveyard while equipped to this card (except during the Damage Step): You can Special Summon 1 "Inzektor" monster from your Deck, except "Inzektor Dragonfly". While this card is equipped to a monster, that monster's Level is increased by 3._

A faint outline of a man in a dragonfly outfit appeared and was about to disappear, but Erik`s revealed trap card caused the form to gain power and it solidified on the field (ATK/1000 DEF/1800). "It would be devastating…had it not failed. Chain Effect Veiler." The figure`s laughter was heared as they held up the nullifying card.

"DAMMIT!" Erik yelled in frustration as the Light type monster caused his monster to shield itself from its brilliant light, rendering it useless this turn. "I`ll end my turn with two more facedown cards!"

"About time. Draw." The cloaked duelist took their next card and immediately showed it to Erik. "Since you have more monsters than I do, I special summon Evilswarm Mandragora."

A monster plant corrupted by darkness appeared on the field and let out a shriek that would send most people running (ATK/1550 DEF/1450). But then again, Erik had his headphones on.

"I activate my facedown Infestation Pandemic to negate your Fiendish Chain this turn. Then, I shall use Ophion`s effect for the last time this duel." The dragon roared and consumed its last energy orb to give its master once last gift.

"Another Infestation Pandemic…" Erik grimaced outside, but internally, he was grinning.

"Facedown card revealed! Infestation Infection. I return one Evilswarm back to my deck to add another Evilswarm to my hand." Ophion transformed into a ball of black energy as the evilness inside the monster remodeled the creature. However, instead of disappearing, the ball of energy exploded and another monster plant appeared in its place.

"Add and special summon another Evilswarm Mandragora."

"At least Shock Master is banned…"

"I normal summon Evilswarm Thunderbird." A weird mixture of a bird with metallic limbs appeared on the field, screeching yet another harsh cry (ATK/1650 DEF/1050). "XYZ summon! I construct an overlay system using the three LV 4 monster on the field to summon a rank four monster: Evilswarm Ouroboros!"

_Evilswarm Ouroboros_

_Rank 4 ATK/2750 DEF/1950_

_3 Level 4 monsters_

_Once per turn: You can detach 1 Xyz Material from this card to activate 1 of these effects. Each effect can only be used once while this card is face-up on the field._

● _Target 1 card your opponent controls; return that target to the hand._

● _Send 1 random card from your opponent's hand to the Graveyard._

● _Target 1 card in your opponent's Graveyard; banish that target._

The three Evilswarm monsters transformed into three black power orbs and circled each other in the air, combining their energies. Recognizing the tributes, the corrupted Ice Dragon materialized into existence and slammed down on the field, causing the rooftop to shake. Literally (ATK/2750 DEF/1950).

"Bah! All these are corrupted dragons!" Erik shouted, trying to anger his opponent into attacking. He stumbled a bit when the dragon stomped onto the field, which was weird considering this was only a duel. "You will never truly control them! They will always rebel in some way!"

"I doubt it, especially when I use its effect. I detach one material and use the first effect. I destroy the first facedown you ever had." The dragon roared as it was powered up by the material`s energy. Without hesitation, it spat out a blast of dark fire at Erik`s facedown.

"Now! Trap activate! Threatening Roar!" Erik shouted as the targeted card revealed itself before disappearing. The dark fire blast missed and the mighty dragon shuddered as the trap card took effect. "That`s the attack taken care of!"

"And you as well," The opponent smugly said.

"Huh?" Erik looked down and shouted in panic as pitch black flames began smoldering his boots. He quickly jumped backwards to escape the flames before a column of the fiery magic appeared in where his trap card once was. "That felt…real! What is going on?"

"You live?" The figure took a half step backwards in surprise. "The heat should`ve killed you!"

"Bah, I guess you couldn`t do it. Go on, end your turn with that Infestation Pandemic facedown," Erik said, thrown off by his opponent`s lack of concern for safety. "Next turn, I`ll win."

"Never. One facedown and end my-"

"Mystical Space Typhoon!" Erik quickly revealed his last facedown card. "I target and destroy your new facedown card!"

"!" The figure shielded themselves as the card blew up, unhurt by the pixelated images. There was no Infestation Epidemic on the field now.

"My turn! Draw!" Erik ripped the top card off and smiled. "Game! I summon Inzektor Centipede!"

A man with brown armor and two spiked shields appeared on the field and growled, clashing his shield together (ATK/1600 DEF/1200). "I now activate Inzektor Dragonfly`s effect! I equip Inzektor Ladybug to it!"

Inzektor Dragonfly placed away its small ray gun and picked up two small discs, ready to throw them if necessary. "I send Inzektor Ladybug to the graveyard and give my Centipede a level!"

At Erik`s command, it throws both discs. One of them purposely misses while the other strikes the brown armor, causing it to glow.

"A Rank 4 summon?" The figure mumbled.

"Not yet done! Since an equip card on Inzektor Dragonfly just got send to the graveyard, I use Dragonfly`s effect to special summon another Inzektor Centipede onto the field and equip it with Inzektor Ladybug as well!" Another brown armored man appeared on the field and instead of two shields, he carried two small discs.

"Boost your fellow Centipede`s level up by one!" Erik commanded and the man threw his weapon at the already glowing warrior, causing him to shine a bit brighter. "Centipede`s effect kicks in now! I add an Inzektor Hornet to my hand."

"More adding?"

"Not yet done! I construct an overlay system using Inzektor Dragonfly and Inzektor Centipede for a Rank 3: Number 17, Leviathan Dragon!" Erik shouted and held the card up.

The two monsters had transformed into dual black orbs of power and had summoned a four winged dragon onto the field. The dragon initially resisted at first, but it accepted the dark offerings and cried out as it hovered over the rooftop (ATK/2000 DEF/0).

"Effect activate! I detach and give my dragon a 500 attack boost!" Erik announced and the dragon bit down on the orb, swallowing it whole (ATK/2500 DEF/0). "But I`m not done yet! In my hand is Inzektor Giga Mantis! He can be equipped to an Inzektor monster directly from the hand, and that lucky Inzektor is the last Centipede on the field!"

The glowing brown armored man casually threw away his shields and picked up two blades the size of his body (ATK/2400 DEF/1200).

"That`s still not enough to get over Ouroboros!" The figure shouted, a hint of panic in their voice. Was it possible they knew what he was going to do?

Most likely, yes.

"I equip Inzektor Hornet to Inzektor Centipede using Centipede`s effect!" The dual-wielding-brown-armored man added a new weapon to his repertoire: a small yellow tonfa blade. "And I`ll use it to destroy my own Giga Mantis blades!" With that, the two weapons in Centipede`s hands shattered as the tonfa pierced both of their cores in one hit. How?

Yugioh physics.

"With the blades shattered, I can bring back one Inzektor monster in my graveyard!" Erik grinned and pointed at his Leviathan Dragon. "And since Dragonfly was the monster detached from Leviathan, I special summon Dragonfly back onto the field!" The shards of metal glowed as energy flowed out of them and shaped back into the form of the Inzektor Dragonfly (ATK/1000 DEF/1800).

"Impossible!"

"Also, since my Inzektor Centipede just lost two equip cards, I gain an additional two cards from my deck!" Erik smirked as he added two spell equip cards to his hand. "For the finale, Inzektor Dragonfly will now kill Ouroboros with Inzektor Hornet`s effect! Strike now Dragonfly!"

The man aimed and threw the yellow tonfa with ease, the blade slicing through the dragon`s carapace and into its heart. With a furious final bellow, the corrupted dragon collapsed and disappeared.

Once again, Yugioh physics.

"Dragonfly, once more! Special summon Inzektor Centipede!" The headphone wearing duelist was a blur with his hands now, trying to end the duel quickly. "Overlay system constructed with Inzektor Dragonfly and Inzektor Centipede: Rank 3 summon, Number 30, Acid Golem of Destruction!"

Acid and destruction always go hand in hand

The two monsters disappeared and reappeared as black orbs of energy as a gigantic titan spewing poisonous acids everywhere appeared on the field (ATK/3000 DEF/3000). "Activate two spell cards in my hand: Inzektor Sword – Zektcaliber! I equip them both to Centipede and he gains a boost of 1600 attack points!"

Two gigantic blades for two swords. Sounds fair.

The still glowing brown armored man discarded his shields for the final time and picked up two identical golden swords, arcs of electricity coming out of them both (ATK/3200 DEF/1200).

Hey, look ma. It`s bigger than Blue Eyes White Dragon!

"8700 life point damage…" The hooded duelist whispered in horror. "That`s game…"

"END THIS!" Erik roared and the duel promptly ended as his three monsters attacked all at once.

**Erik: **8000

**?: **0

"NO!" The figure whipped out a card and Evilswarm Catastor was back in the flesh, bearing down on Erik despite his victory.

"I`d love to celebrate…but my ride`s here!" Erik cheerfully said, dodging each blade slash with ease while moving backwards. Once he reached the edge of the roof on the south side, he smiled and fell off.

While in the air, Erik twisted and turned so that he was facing the ground face first. He glanced up and saw a small figure coming down the street…with at least five black vans right behind her. "Geez, what did you do? Piss them all off?" Erik muttered before he slammed his boots together.

The two black boots activated and immediately, Erik was pulled towards the building. As predicted, there was enough metal in those rusted pipes to get a magnetic attraction. He bent his knees slightly so that the boots got onto those pipes, he wouldn`t break his bones.

Erik grunted as he felt the side of the building scrape against him. Of course, he still was going downwards, but it was now a controlled run down the side of the building. And that was better than ending up as a grease spot on the ground below.

"About time you showed up," Erik casually said as he landed on the ground, the perfectly controlled speed allowing him to avoid all injuries. His fellow operative had finally reached him: a blonde long haired girl. She was hovering in the air using her Duel Board and was holding a small laptop bag…and his prized Duel Board.

"Bet you didn`t have to fight off at least three guards. THEN came the chase and turbo duels!" Cora hastily retorted, tossing Erik his own Duel Board. "You`ve got delay duty this time!"

"Alright, but just to let you know, I just took some medicine," Erik replied, activating the hover function as soon as he got strapped on. The machine shook a while before the metallic vehicle lifted off the ground, responding to the pressure he exerted on the board. "Might get a little sluggish a few times on the way back. Did you hack anything good?"

"No, but Desmond might`ve. For now, let`s get out of here!"


	3. Y, 3

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its affiliates

Warnings: Fan-girling, violence, hints of swearing

Chapter 3: Ban lists, Fan girls, and Champions

Without any exceptions, it can be easily said that pro dueling was the hardest career to get into. Although it was great to be formally recognized as Neo Domino`s best duelist, it was a complete gamble. Every year, duelists seeking to enter the pro circuit or continue in it have to find a sponsor who would supply them with all the funds needed to build decks.

That being said, since the ban list was constantly changed, pro duelists were forced to continue making new decks to get around new restrictions. The fact that new cards were constantly being released didn`t help their financial situations at all.

One of the easiest ways to tell if someone was a pro duelist was their gear. Is it a standard or customized duel disk? Are they wearing very fancy or theatrical clothing for the sake of drawing attention? Are they wearing the revered champion`s cloak, or is it simply a very good imitation of it?

Meh, the last question doesn`t really count. The current champion of the Neo Domino circuit was easily recognizable without it due to his one of-a-kind duel gear.

Actually, it isn`t one of a kind. Three currently exist, and all three proud owners share the same penthouse…

O O O

"IT`S OUT! IT`S BEEN RELEASE!" A spiky teal haired boy shrieked, slamming into corners and doors as he tried to find his roommates. He wore a black hoodie with purple zigzag stripes running up and down. With his grey trousers, the boy looked like a normal person you might find in a mall…was he not carrying his duel gear.

What is the duel gear? It is a small specialized metallic container that attached to one`s hip, no bigger than a notebook and no thicker than a small wooden slab. Easy and portable, but it carried what only most pro duelists could dream of.

But then again, this boy had donned the cloak of champions several times in his own retrospect.

"Eh? Enzyo, what is the matter?" A slightly accented voice replied from the living room. Finally finding somebody, Enzyo rounded the corner and jumped onto a red couch, landing with a _thump_. "What the heck!"

The speaker was a black haired boy wearing a brown jacket and white shirt. The duelist glared at Enzyo`s crystal blue eyes with dark black ones that clearly showed anger. He had been busy tinkering with his own duel gear when Enzyo slammed onto the same couch he was on; his cards were now sprawled all over his black trousers as all his champion decks had gone flying. "No! I just spent half an hour trying to fix this piece of garbage!"

"Never mind that Alec! Where is Grey?!"

"Right here, watching you make an idiot of yourself," an amused duelist replied. A white haired boy was leaning back in a black office chair, his duel gear already all fixed. He wore a black and blue turtleneck shirt with matching grey trousers. But the most startling thing about Grey wasn`t his pitch black.

Rather, it was the bright white champion`s cloak casually draped over his chair. It was made with a simple white cloth, but the design on its interior was a grand sight to see: the famous New Domino city, hand sown into the cloth seamlessly and beautifully.

"Alright Enzyo, what`s the matter?"

"It`s out!" Enzyo eagerly reached into his pocket and pulled out a ball of paper. With a flourish, it expanded out and was revealed to be a crumpled up list. "The new ban list came out!"

"What!" Both Grey and Alec grabbed a corner and pulled, straightening out all the creases in the paper. After placing down spare decks on the corners, all three ex and current champions carefully examined the list.

"…Dragon Rulers have fallen!" Grey triumphantly declared and Alec groaned, sinking back into the couch.

"Dammit. I should`ve known they were going to get hit," the boy moaned.

"Your problem, not really ours," Enzyo replied and tapped a name. "I think that we can safely declare Prophecys are now dead. Without Judgment Day, they can`t really do much."

"Yeah, that`s probably my fault. I overused Reaper Turbo." The champion nervously chuckled. "At least I was prepared for this."

"Nope, you`re not." Alec was grinning sinisterly as he stared at the list. "Macro Cosmos and Dimensional Fissure are both limited now."

"Oh, what the heck!" "I know!" Both Enzyo and Grey raised protests seeing as how they were such a common side deck card.

"On the plus side, Scapegoat is now unlimited."

"That and T.G. Striker`s comeback is going to help the syncro format comeback now," Enzyo observed. "Hey, what`s this?"

"Gateway of the Six is now banned? Six Samurai? Really?" Grey looked curiously at his two friends. "Who in the world still runs Six Samurai?"

O O O

A certain blue haired samurai stared in horror at the taped up ban list. He took a deep breath before speaking.

"_**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUU-"**_

O O O

"Hey, you hear something?" Enzyo asked, his head tilted to the side. "It sounds as though someone is screaming."

"Nah, probably your imagination," Alec replied. "Right now, take a look at this. Mermails have not gotten hit that badly. Maybe it`s time to build that Mermail deck we were thinking about."

"No, I don`t think Mermails are what we need to focus on." Grey grinned. "My Infernitiy build will actually triumph now! Macro is gone, so the main card to side in against them is gone!"

"One card: Shadow Imprisoning Mirror," Enzyo reminded. "That card, if anybody else realizes what is good this format, will become a primary side in. We should run triple MSTs to counter it if Infernities become hot."

"That might be why they banned Heavy Storm."

"No, they might`ve banned Heavy Storm on the account that it was devastating last format, especially when a Prophecy deck used it."

"Same thing perhaps applies to Monster Reborn."

"Not Monster Reborn! Seriously, they banned that?!"

"Yep, take a look."

"OH, SCREW YOU ILLUSIONARY! WHY? WHY?!" Enzyo cried and fell to his feet, weeping in nostalgic sadness. "That was one of the final reminders of our original days…"

"There`s plenty more," Alec and Grey both monotonously replied and turned back to the ban list.

"We should head down to Illusionary to grab the cards we need," Grey suggested, wrapping his cloak tightly around his shoulders. "Our sponsor would also like to hear our personal opinions on this new list."

"Yeah, him and the waiting 20 press reporters that I know are just waiting there," Alexi grumbled, hastily stuffing his decks back into his duel gear. "Seriously, can we not go anywhere without getting bombarded with questions?"

"Okay, then, screw Illusionary. We`ll just go out to the mall. That way, only fans will recognize us," Enzyo suggested, folding back up the ban list before remembering the core fact of the matter. "Oh wait. That`s practically everybody, we`ve been on live T.V."

"Pick the lesser of two evils. We`ll go to the mall."

O O O

"OMG IT`S ALEC!"

"ENZYO! MARRY ME!"

"GET OFF GREY! HE`S MINE!"

"I`m going to kill you Grey!" Enzyo shouted, dragging a semi-conscious Alec behind him, keeping him barely out of reach from the fan girls. "Especially if you drop my goddamn cards!"

"Well, screw you too!" Grey yelled back, his back hurting from carrying three binder cases of cards. "And just run! For the love of Ra, run!"

"Doesn`t count! You`ve never used him!"

"Oh my god, shut up!" Alec quietly muttered. "My headache is freaking killing me!"

The three had arrived in Neo Domino mall unhindered and unrecognized. Good. They had then proceeded to the card shop on the ground floor of the building. Alright. Each of them had brought their own trade binder and had bargained with the shop keeper for some new cards they needed. Mission success!

Then somebody recognized the champion`s cloak. And it was a fan girl who immediately blogged the news all over the World Wide Web. That`s where it starts getting interesting.

Within a baffling five minutes that resulted in Alec getting clobbered over the head by his own trade binder, several dozen fan girls had used their mysterious fast travel ways and the shoppers were now on the run, trying to escape without getting caught, mutilated, and violated in various ways too explicit for me to describe.

Just a typical day when these three friends went out to go shopping.

O O O

"Fan girls to your right," A spiky black haired boy muttered as he browsed a selection of listening devices. "Bah, who are they chasing this time?"

"Meh, I don`t know and care. What do you think?" A blonde girl replied, holding up a white headset. "Looks good?"

"…sure. Let`s just go, the headphones here suck…"

O O O

"That…was…way…too…close!" Enzyo bent over, out of wind and second wind. "We…really…need…good disguises!" The teal haired boy wheezed.

"I…agree!" Grey dropped all the trade binders and collapsed against the wall, not even caring about the state of the precious champion cloak. "Never…again!"

The fan girls were all gone now, having completely lost the trio when they had crashed out of the glass elevator (great, another bill!). Alec was now back on his feet and was on guard duty, making sure that nobody came down this empty side hallway while Grey and Enzyo tried to avoid cardiac failure.

"You guys do realize we probably will have to do this again right?" Alec replied, carefully looking past the corner in the hallway. Their response to his question was two rude hand gestures. "Fair enough, let`s go. The back door should be clear for us."

"That`s what you said back in Moscow." Grey visibly shuddered. "Geez, I can still remember all those drinks we had…"

"Hey now, how was I supposed to know that my cousins were obsessed with Enzyo?"

"Oh, I don`t know, when they started DROOLING over me perhaps?!" Enzyo retorted, picking up his own trade binder and brushing the dirt off the cover. "Enough, c`mon. I want to go home."

"…yeah, it`s been a heck of a day…ban lists and fan girls…" Alec muttered, taking his trade binder. Grey silently nodded and picked up his binder. Soon, the three friends were quietly walking to the back of the mall, carefully avoiding anybody`s gaze in case they were fan girls in disguise. After what seemed like forever, the end was in sight.

Unfortunately, the end had an obstacle right in front of it. How convenient.

"As expected, the Jewels of Neo Domino city: Grey, Alec, and Enzyo. How the mighty look small in real life." A black haired boy stepped out of the shadows near the back doors and stood right in front of them, barring them from escape. He was about 16, two years younger than they were, and wore a white vest with a dark red shirt and a set of dark blue jeans. He wore rather thick glasses and had his hair styled in a way so that it covered part of his green eyes. A standard Duel Disk was on his arm, its power core already humming with energy.

"Oh, dammit all! Can we not get a break today?!" Alec said exasperatedly, already turning to run.

Before he could even take a step forward, there was an ominous _shink _and Alec immediately stepped backwards. Right where Alec would`ve ran was a metallic ninja knife: a kunai.

"Trapped…" Enzyo muttered, already moving so that he covered Alexi`s awkward retreat. "What do you want from us?"

"Simple. My name is Jeremiah and I just want to duel…_you._" Jeremiah pointed at Grey, pointing at the champion`s cloak. "Here are the conditions: I win, you give me that champion`s cloak since I will be the top duelist of Neo Domino city from now on!"

"And if you lose?"

"You can go. Simple enough for you?"

"Since there`s a duel involved, I think I understand. Don`t lose." Grey chuckled before reaching under his cloak. With a smooth motion, he pulled out a standard Duel Disk and attached it to his left arm. Jeremiah only had to raise his arm and activate the duel program, but the challenger noticed an oddity.

"Where is your deck?" Jeremiah asked, confused at the lack of preparation.

"Right here! Duel Gear, activate! Deck: C25F15!" Grey held his hand over the metal container and the gears within creaked to life. It hummed as it processed Grey`s request, shuffling decks and shifting cards around before acting. A small slot opened and a smaller deck of cards popped out from it, landing perfectly in Grey`s duel disk as it registered the deck.

"DUEL!"

**Jeremiah: **8000

**Grey: **8000

"Challengers first! Draw!" Jeremiah drew the first card of the duel and studied his hand carefully. "I set one monster and two other facedown cards. End!"

"No offense yet? Interesting….draw!" Grey swiftly took his card and immediately plucked out a single card from his existing hand. "Since you have a monster and I don`t, Cyber Dragon gets a free summon!"

The field in front of Grey crackled with lightning as the famed machine descended upon the field, letting out a mechanical roar as it touched the floor (ATK/2100 DEF/1600).

"Nope! Trap activate: Bottomless Trap Hole!" Cyber Dragon, despite it being a dragon, could not escape as a deep hole of unknowable proportions opened up underneath, banishing it permanently from the game.

"Huh, I didn`t know people would still run that card when it`s limited," Grey commented, taking Cyber Dragon and pocketing the card. "Alrighty then, time to activate this spell: Upstart Goblin! You gain a 1000 lifepoints, but I get in return, the ability to draw another card."

**Jeremiah: **9000

**Grey: **8000

"A weaker version of Pot of Greed...completely useless and unnecessary in any deck."

"Oh really?" Grey smiled and showed the card he just drew. "Well, it gave me another Cyber Dragon!"

"What!" Jeremiah flinched as another metallic monster appeared, glaring at the black haired boy (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). It was probably pissed by the fact that its brother just got banished. "Gr…I activate Compulsory Evacuation Device! Your Cyber Dragon returns back to the hand now!"

The dragon roared in anger as the device began to pull it in…only to strike out with electricity and short circuit the device. "Really? Cyber Dragon`s effect lets me special summon him back to the field after your Compulse. So, there was no point in that move." Grey chuckled. "A misplay. Anyway, I now normal summon the Red Gadget!"

A small red humanoid robot with a giant gear on its back appeared on the field, floating next to Grey`s Cyber Dragon (ATK/1300 DEF/1500). "His effect allows me to add-"

"Grey, what are you doing?!" Enzyo shouted, trying to get his friend`s attention. "Since when did you have _my _deck on you at all times?!"

"Since you retired it. I held onto it, since it was a pretty damn good deck," Grey told the former champion.

"…dammit, should`ve kept it…" Enzyo darkly muttered.

"That interruption aside, Red Gadget allows me to add Yellow Gadget to my hand!" The gear on the back turned and yellow scrap pieces spat out of it, foreshadowing Yellow Gadget`s incoming summon. "Battle Phase! Cyber Dragon, attack that facedown card!"

"Ngh!" Jeremiah covered his glasses with his arm to protect them from getting dust in them as Grey`s machine fired a beam of electricity at his face down, destroying a rusty machine with shields (ATK/1100 DEF/1900). "You just destroyed Geargiarmor! When he is flipped face up, I can add one Geargia monster to my hand, so I add Geargiarsenal."

"Fine by me, since you are now attacked directly by Red Gadget!"

"I forgot about him!" The black haired boy hissed as Red Gadget socked him in the stomach.

**Jeremiah: **7700

**Grey: **8000

"Well, there goes your Upstart Goblin boost. I set two cards and end my turn!"

"Draw!" _Dammit, I need to get rid of that Cyber Dragon! I can`t let him get his fusions!_ "I activate Mind Control!"

"Negated. Dark Bribe!" Grey revealed his trap card as tendrils of darkness seeped out of it. The spell was infused with the power of greed and it dissolved, unable to hold itself together. "You can draw a card now."

"Hmph…" Jeremiah drew and his eyes immediately lit up. "It seems that lady luck is now on my side! I summon Machina Gearframe!"

An orange android appeared on the field, fists raised in attack position as it awaited further commands (ATK/1800 DEF/0). "Using his effect, I add Machina Fortress to my hand!"

_Machina Fortress_

_Effect LV 7 Monster_

_You can discard Machine-Type monster(s) whose total Levels equal 8 or more, then Special Summon this card (from your hand or Graveyard). When this card is destroyed by battle and sent to the Graveyard: Target 1 card your opponent controls; destroy that target. Before resolving an opponent's monster effect that targets this face-up card, look at your opponent's hand and discard 1 card from their hand._

"Oh, son of a-!"

"I discard Machina Fortress and Geargiarsenal to my graveyard to bring Machina Fortress back from the grave!" Jeremiah shouted, sending a level seven and four monster to the graveyard, only to have the level seven monster spat back out. On the field, a massive tripod machine with an artillery cannon attached appeared, the barrel of the gun already pointing at Grey (ATK/2500 DEF/1600).

"Ouch. That is going to hurt…" Alec muttered.

"I equip Machina Gearframe onto Machina Fortress to give it additional powers!" The android nodded as it registered the prompt and jumped, transforming into a small orange power box in midair. It landed perfectly on top of the behemoth of a machine, its purpose currently unknown. "Now, attack Machina Fortress! Target and destroy Cyber Dragon!"

"Trap activate: Mirror Force!" Grey announced and a shining force field appeared in front of his monsters. Machina Fortress, ignoring the danger, targeted Cyber Dragon and fired an artillery barrage at it. The rounds met the mirror force and the two exploded, smoke covering the battlefield. However, it was clear that some of the bullets had been deflected and were now ricocheting back to Machina Fortress!

"Gearframe, now! Force field!" The orange box on top of Machina Fortress glowed as an electrical barrier was placed around the machine, easily incinerating all the reflected shots. But after the barrier died down, the box short circuited and exploded, its power completely depleted. "My Machina Fortress survives, but I doubt your Cyber Dragon did."

"Too true…" Grey reluctantly agreed as the smoke cleared and the body of his fallen monster appeared, giant gaping holes in its body. "Ah, nothing to it. Another Cyber Dragon lost."

"I set one card and end my turn!"

"Draw." Grey calmly drew his next card and looked at the new face down card on Jeremiah`s field. "That is a bluff. It is either an unusable trap or spell card."

"What?!" _How did he know?!_

"Trust me, you aren`t that great when it comes to being poker faced. You think that right now, this duel is in the bag and the cloak may already be yours. However," Grey grinned sadistically and held up his card, "I can do better! I summon Cyber Valley!"

_Cyber Valley_

_Effect LV 1 monster_

_You can use 1 of these effects._

● _When this card is targeted for an attack by an opponent's monster: You can banish this card; draw 1 card, then end the Battle Phase._

● _You can target 1 face-up monster you control and this card; banish both that target and this card, then draw 2 cards._

● _You can target 1 card in your Graveyard; banish this card and 1 card from your hand, then place that target on top of the Deck._

A look alike of Cyber Dragon appeared, but this time, it had red power cores all over its body (ATK/0 DEF/0). "I activate Cyber Valley`s second effect! By banishing it and Red Gadget, I can draw two replacement cards!"

Cyber Valley hummed and wrapped its body around Red Gadget before they both collapsed, electricity overloading both their systems. The resulting scraps of metal glowed red and dissolved, leaving no trace of them behind as Grey pocketed the two monsters and drew two more cards. "Excellent! Another Cyber Dragon!"

"That`s two out…but the third is out of commission!" Jeremiah said, unfazed as the final metallic dragon in Grey`s deck appeared, a look of hatred in its eyes as it gazed on Machina Fortress (ATK/2100 DEF/1600).

"I set two cards and end my turn."

"Draw!" The boy with glasses laughed as he held up a second Machina Fortress. "I`ll summon this one out by discarding itself and Scrap Recycler!" A second metal behemoth of a machine appeared on the field, linking up with its veteran counterpart (ATK/2600 DEF/1600).

"Well, the more the merrier," Alec muttered.

"That`s true, so take this: Foolish Burial! I send my last Machina Fortress to the graveyard! And remember what you said about my facedown card?"

"Ah, I see. You couldn`t use it because there was nothing worth using it on then."

"That`s right! Trap card activate: Call of the Haunted! I bring back Machina Fortress back from the grave!" The third machine tank appeared and rolled up next to its two comrades, all three artillery guns pointed at Grey`s lone Cyber Dragon (ATK/2600 DEF/1600).

"Well, this would be the perfect time to go triple Rank 7 XYZ…" Enzyo was the only one to laugh at his own joke.

"ATTACK!"

"Well, count one of your attacks negated!" Grey flipped over his face down card and a metal scarecrow appeared in front of Cyber Dragon. "I activate Scrap-Iron Scarecrow! I can negate an attack once per turn now!" The first artillery barrage sailed over the makeshift scarecrow, but it was suddenly pulled back, hitting the cheap metal rather than the valuable silver plated one.

"So you stopped one attack. I`ve still got two more! Open fire!" Jeremiah pointed and his remaining monsters unleashed a dual barrage of hellfire, taking out Cyber Dragon and hitting Grey.

"Youch!"

**Jeremiah: **7700

**Grey: **4900

"Another turn and it`s game!" Jeremiah triumphantly announced, but was surprised by a sound coming from Grey.

Laughter.

"So that`s how the deck works! I`ve been wondering how you got past a few rounds with those monsters."

"What? You…know me?"

"Who doesn`t?" Alec rolled his eyes. "We`re pros. We keep an eye out for any good deck builds. We then take those builds…"

"…modify them as needed…" Enzyo added.

"…and then we use them," Grey finished. "You are Jeremiah, a competitor from last year`s championships. I remember you from the early qualification rounds, being a complete dark horse candidate who eventually lost to a red haired man. It was quite a mess you made when trying to get to him. Tell me, why are you still hanging onto that deck?"

"That cloak rightfully belongs to me!" Jeremiah snarled in response to the accusations. "The match was rigged. There was no way that man could`ve summoned out a triple Rank 4 XYZ in one turn, especially Shock Master!"

"It`s called Heroes. Check that deck out and research how he did it…and how you could learn from it. Learn from your mistakes, as I will show you now! Draw!" Grey dramatically flourished and smiled. "I activate Monster Reincarnation! I discard my Yellow Gadget and add back Cyber Dragon to my hand!"

"What? No!"

"And since you have three massive monsters on the field but I don`t, I special summon Cyber Dragon onto the field!" Grey shouted, slamming the card onto his duel disk as the mighty metallic dragon rose up once again on the field, roaring with anticipation at Grey`s final play (ATK/2100 DEF/1600).

"That`s…only…one…"

"Facedown card revealed! My own Call of the Haunted! I special summon back to the field a second Cyber Dragon!" Another metallic dragon appeared in a burst of electricity, its pistons hissing with satisfaction as it lived once more (ATK/2100 DEF/1600). "Now here`s why you should be careful about betting everything on your machines! Contact fusion!"

"Contact Fusion!? I thought only Neo Spacians could do that!"

"The Cybers have analyzed and adapted, creating a monster that could be summoned through contact fusion…with all our monsters!" Grey held his hand out and all five machines exploded into metal and scrap, a fiery explosion contained only by the electricity of the two dismantled Cyber Dragons. "Now, come forth! Chimeratech Fortress Dragon!"

"NO!" Jeremiah yelled, helpless as the metal that used to be his monsters assembled into a fearsome monster that was more twisted than anything in his deck.

The Machina Fortresses` metal was used as the interior while the Cyber Dragon`s metal coated the outside and shaped the machine: a giant dark colored version of Cyber Dragon, blue electricity leaping off its uneven skin as it roared in triumph to the successful contact fusion (ATK/5000 DEF/0).

"Final card in my hand: Twin Swords of Flashing Light- Tyrce." Grey quietly placed the card in and Chimeratech glowed. "Although he loses 500 attack points, my dragon can now attack twice. This is game, Jeremiah. Time to go learn from this. Attack twice Chimeratech, and win."

**Jeremiah: **0

**Grey: **4900

"Way to go Grey!" Enzyo patted his friend on the back as Alec sighed in relief. "Now, give me my deck back."

"Sure. Thanks for helping out," Grey addressed the last sentence to the deck as he took it out from his duel disk and passed it back to its original owner. Enzyo grinned as he fanned through the deck, remembering all the duels he won with it as he pocketed the deck.

"I…must concede defeat. As promised, you are free to leave. However," Jeremiah`s tone darkened, "I will see you soon. And next time, the champion`s position shall be mine!"

"That wasn`t even my best deck," Grey responded in kind, brushing past the defeated duelist with Alec and Enzyo tailing. "Come to us when you are finally ready to learn how to duel."

"….wow, I think I`m going to seriously puke from all the cheese in that last sentence…" Alec muttered as the three finally exited the mall and into a small park.

"Shut up. I made it up on the spot. It was better than that speech you gave a few years back!"

"I was drunk! What did you expect?"

"Oh, I don`t know, an unconscious man instead of one who stripped in front of the audience!"

While the two bickered, Enzyo took the chance and checked up on their schedule via smart phone. "Hey guys?"

"WHAT?" Grey and Alexi turned to see a pale Enzyo

"We have a press conference tomorrow scheduled tomorrow by our sponsor."

"..." Silence reigned supreme before all three duelists opened their mouths.

"_**FFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFFUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUUU UUUU-**_"


	4. Y, 4

Disclaimer: I do not own Yugioh or any of its affliates

Warnings: Sexual terms used, violence

Chapter 4: Possibly the Worst Ninja ever

"…Champion Grey is scheduled to appear tomorrow later in the evening, along with the other 'Gems of Neo Domino!' In this rare talk, he and the others will elaborate on their feelings about the new ban list, the one just came out…"

"You know what I think of that ban list? A load of corporate crap." Shizaru snorted. "That list is the one that should`ve been released a few years ago, but now? That`s ridiculous!"

"Sir, as much as I would _love_ to hear your speech….GET OUT OF THE WAY!" A store employee screamed at him. "You`re blocking the entire line!"

Indeed, a considerable crowd had grown behind the checkout aisle, many shoppers complaining about how this one guy had been standing in front of the cashier for 15 minutes AFTER he paid for the groceries.

"Oh…whoops. Sorry everybody!" Shizaru sheepishly said as he grabbed his food for the week. Avoiding some badly thrown cans and tomatoes, the blue haired boy quickly rushed out of the grocery store and began walking in the streets of Neo Domino.

It was still early morning but the streets were already chocked full of people. There were men in business suits, rushing and cursing at the time. There were women with shopping bags, either buying food for the coming days or simply window browsing. And of course, there were young children, running in the streets, dueling each other, and just having fun all day.

The month was August, so the heat of the sun was beginning to die down from the blazing temperatures of summer. Trees planted every few feet or so gave some shade to the city dwellers, providing a cool area to rest and chat. Birds chirped from nests within the trees, giving everyone a wonderful song to just stop and listen to.

School had just begun, so Shizaru spotted a few teens in Academy clothing busy talking with one another as they walked to Duel Academy. Their decks were always in their hands as the students talked with one another about classes, tests, whatnot. They were so busy with their lives, their everyday routines, their school lives at Duel Academy.

Duel Academy, to Shizaru, was nothing compared to the real world.

"Hey man! How`s it going?" One of the students had approached him and raised a hand in the air. Shizaru merely glared at him, something that would`ve been easier to pull off had he not been carrying two grocery bags. "Er, so what do you think of the new ban list? Crazy stuff huh?"

Blasted hipsters.

"I am simply angry at it…as I soon will be with you!" Shizaru harshly responded. The student immediately backed off in fear and nearly fell over, scurry back to his group of friends. Once the students were gone, Shizaru sighed, dropping his pissed-off-beyond-hell face. Damn those annoying students!

"Well, you handled it well. Those students normally would pester me for ages," A voice commented with on his thoughts. Shizaru flinched, but turned and saw a long haired woman standing right next to him, carrying groceries in her hands as well. She peered in the direction the students had run off to. "Nice job handling them by the way. I wouldn`t have done it any better."

"Okay?" Shizaru hesitantly responded. "And who are you?"

"…EH? You can see me?!" The woman absolutely freaked out and ran off with her groceries. Before Shizaru could react, she rounded the corner and disappeared from sight.

"Well…that was weird…that felt like a freaking anime experience…"

Sighing in confusion, Shizaru pushed the encounter out of his mind and walked onwards. Duel Runners sped down the streets, probably off to compete in some Turbo Duel somewhere. Probably an illegal one. Shizaru really wanted a Duel Runner though. It would be quite an interesting experience to duel while on a moving vehicle, dividing one`s attention between driving and dueling. And it would also be interesting to see how his own Six Samurais would adapt to the race track field.

Alas, Duel Runners were far more expensive than whatever funds his sensei gave him. And he would be pretty sure she would kill him if she ever found him on one of those "death machines" as she liked to call them. Then again, she would kill him for every single aspect of his life right now.

The activity in the streets slowly died down as he turned and walked off the main road. Now, it was a much emptier street, filled with only a few people and parked vehicles. Just the way he liked it: almost empty. Shizaru soon arrived at his apartment building and sighed, his two hidden swords feeling heavy underneath his cloak as he dropped his grocery bags.

"Shizaru? What are you doing?" A familiar female voice asked. The blue haired samurai turned and saw his cheerful neighbor looking curiously at him. It was a young girl of about 16, her hands clasped behind her back as she rocked back and forth waiting for Shizaru`s answer. She had short black hair and dark black eyes, with a red hair clip obstructing part of them. She wore a traditional black school uniform with a white tie. However, her entire neck and part of her chin was covered by a large red scarf despite the relatively cool weather.

"Madeline, I could the same thing about you. I thought you were busy finishing up that album you were working on!"

"Ah, I took a break." Madeline yawned before continuing her response. "My brother wanted to meet me for breakfast, so why not? I am beginning to regret waking up so early though…"

"Er…I was just taking a break. These bags can sometimes get heavy for one person to carry in one go."

"Oh! Let me help you then!" The girl brightly said and reached for one of the bags.

Quickly, Shizaru grabbed his bags and held them close. "No, no! It is dishonorable to let somebody else carry your own burdens. I can do it myself after a quick break."

"Hmm…but if you carry the entire burden yourself, then wouldn`t you break eventually?" The girl smiled. "Sometimes, it`s okay to ask for a little-" Without warning, Madeline began coughing violently and covered her mouth with her red scarf with one hand.

"Whoa! You okay?"

"…yeah!" Madeline removed the scarf and smiled brightly…revealing red liquid trickling out of her mouth. "Just a little cough, that`s all!"

"Are you coughing out _blood?_"

"Oh no, look at the time! Gotta go!" Without anything else to say, Madeline dashed into the building and disappeared, taking the elevator up to the 13th floor without any hesitation.

"…yet another anime like incident…" Shizaru muttered before tossing his bags into the lobby area and moving out to the neighboring alleyway. There was a crunching noise underneath his boot and Shizaru immediately jumped back, hands on his blades. When nothing came out of the incident, Shizaru knelt down and examined what he had stepped on.

A crushed white medical syringe with no liquid in it. No big deal.

Deciding to ignore the syringe, Shizaru took a deep breath and began walking into the alleyway walked down the dark and damp area until he reached a brick wall. Dead end. Nowhere one could hide or escape.

Perfect.

"HEY! I know you`re there! C`mon out, I spotted you a long time ago!" Shizaru turned around and shouted into the darkness. No response. "Give it up! You are seriously the WORST ninja of all time if I can detect you!"

"No I`m not!" A voice right behind him protested. Immediately, Shizaru reacted and drew a ruby red katana, slicing the area around him in a 360 slash. Something met his blade and the two weapons sparked, sending Shizaru and his unknown assailant back from one another. Just as predicted, his assailant slammed into the brick wall, groaning while Shizaru nimbly dug his heels in and turned to face the opponent.

The opponent was ninja who was a girl wearing a rather provocative outfit. Just his luck. Since when did honor and respect forsake Shizaru?

To elaborate, Shizaru`s mysterious…stalker was a girl with white hair and dark blue eyes. She was wearing a…red tank top with a rose symbol and…short black shorts with a matching black belt pockets. The white haired girl was also wearing black boots…that covered up to the knee. Her hair was held up in a ponytail by what looked like metal kazanshi with a rose base. In her black gloved hands were two red kunai blades.

"Well, let`s start out easy. Who are you?" Shizaru asked with a flat voice, his hand resting on the hilt of his sheathed red katana.

"I`m the great -" With a fluid gesture, the girl dropped the kunais and reached into her pockets, throwing two small red shruikens in a single gesture. "-ninja Rose!"

Shizaru`s eyes narrowed as he drew his scarlet blade and with two slices, deflected both shurikens in one smooth maneuver. The katana then slide back into its sheath with an ominous hissing sound. "Great Ninja? First, work on your stealth. I spotted you way before I made contact."

"What? No way! My technique is the best!"

"If your ninja skills are limited to that, then-" Shizaru dashed forward and slashed forwards with the red blade. Rose jumped and kicked off the wall easily, somersaulting and landing on both feet, facing her opponent now. "THAT is how you properly distract the opponent," Shizaru told her, feeling the brick wall right behind him as he was now the cornered one.

"I know how to distract someone!" Rose huffed in anger and crossed her arms across her…chest in frustration. "It`s just that it`s really different to do it in real life…"

"What do you want? If it`s cash, I-"

"Hell no! I`m not mugging you!" To his surprise, Rose held her hands up in a peaceful gesture. "I want to join you!"

"…what the hell?" Shizaru blinked rapidly as his mind registered the words. "Er…I`m not one for an early committed relation-"

"NOT IN THAT WAY!" Rose practically screamed in embarrassment before recomposing herself. "I mean I want to help you! You`re that outlaw guy that`s been helping out with the crime in Sattelite aren`t you?"

"How did you find out who I was?"

"I saw your work at the store the other day and trailed you back to the city before losing you. Then I just had to follow you again today and find out where you live!"

"That sounds…wrong." Shizaru paused as he thought about what she was proposing. "So you want to help me serve justice?"

"Heck yeah! I`ll be your shinobi! Think about it: all good samurais have a good ninja behind them!" Rose grinned as she held her hand out. "So what do you say? Partners?"

There was no response, but Shizaru placed his head down, his dark blue hair covering his eyes. "…hehe…hehe…"

"Huh? What`s wrong?"

"Hehe…HAHAHA!" Shizaru laughed manically for a minute, just completely befuddling Rose entirely. Soon, he calmed down, but Rose did NOT like the dark look in his eyes. "No. I`m not going to accept your help."

"What?! But…but…"

"I work alone. You`re just an arrogant poorly trained girl with a childish dream." Shizaru`s voice had a dark and menacing tone to it, slightly scaring Rose. Okay, maybe _terrifying the crap out of her _might the proper phrase. "You have neither street smarts nor experience under your belt! Why, I`m willing to bet that you wouldn`t last against me in a duel tipped in your favor!"

"Why, you-" Rose`s eyes burned with smoldering anger as she held her left arm out and used her right hand to take out a familiarly shaped item from her belt pockets: a deck. She placed her deck onto the glove on her left arm and it _hovered in mid-air_. The glove lit up with various lights and a vague ghostly outline of a duel disk was created, with the deck at its center much like a normal duel disk. "I`ll prove you wrong! I challenge you to a duel!"

"A holographic duel disk…interesting. I accept." Shizaru held out his scabbard and twisted the hilt inside, unfolding his custom circular duel disk. "What are you waiting for? Let`s begin."

"DUEL!"

**Shizaru: **8000

**Rose: **8000

"I`ll go first. Draw!' Shizaru examined his hand and picked out four cards. "I`m going to kick this duel off with two Six Samurai United! Also, I summon Legendary Six Samurai- Kageki and use his effect to special summon Kagemusha of the Six Samurai!"

The field in front of Shizaru shimmered as two separate areas of mist appeared, barely concealing the figures crouched within them. One of those figures was a bulky samurai with two robotic arms and four katanas (ATK/200 DEF/2000). The other monster was a kneeling foot soldier, waiting to be sacrificed for any reason (ATK/400 DEF/1800).

"Now witness this! Kagemusah, give Kageki a tune up!" The kneeling man nodded and disappeared along with Kageki as the field darkened in anticipation of what was coming. "With the power and honor of your brethren, arise! Syncro Summon, Legendary Six Samurai Shi-En!"

_Legendary Six Samurai- Shi-En_

_Syncro LV 5 monster_

_1 Warrior-Type Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner "Six Samurai" monsters_

_Once per turn, during either player's turn, when your opponent activates a Spell/Trap Card: You can negate the activation, and if you do, destroy it. If this card would be destroyed, you can destroy another face-up "Six Samurai" monster you control instead._

A samurai with red armor slammed down from the heavens onto the field, its demon mask glaring angrily at Rose (ATK/2500 DEF/1400). However, to her credit, Rose did not flinch at all. "That`s a big monster, but it better fit the bill with my deck!"

"Since I summoned three Six Samurais, my Six Samurai United spells gain bushido counters. However, they can only hold two bushido counters at a time before the power begins to overwhelm them." The mist shifted and swirled until there were two distinct _Ni_ symbols on the field, drawn by the mist. "I send them both two the graveyard to draw four cards!"

"What! You just…replenished your entire hand!" Rose huffed. "Now I see why it was necessary to nerf the deck a bit."

"I set two facedown cards and end my turn!"

"About time! My draw!" Rose took a card from her floating deck and smiled. "Check this out! Dark Hole! All monsters on the field are now destroyed!"

"Negate it Shi-En," Shizaru calmly ordered and Shi-En obeyed, blasting the spell with its royal powers. The power in the devastating spell card dissipated as Shi-En`s additional power overloaded the entire act of casting it.

"Ah, crap, forgot about that….okay then, check this monster out! Lonefire Blossom!" Rose placed the card where the monster slot was normally located and the card hovered in the air in the proper position.

On the field, a weed popped up from the ground and spat sparks out. However, the sparks were few and the plant itself looked sick (ATK/500 DEF/1400). "I use my monster`s effect and make itself bloom to reveal an even stronger monster!" Rose announced and the plant`s bud opened up, revealing a humanoid figure within, half of her body still within the plant itself (ATK/2800 DEF/2600).

"I special summon Tytannial, Princess of Camellias!" Rose took another card and placed into the holographic duel disk. "And since I don`t like those facedown cards of yours, I`ll borrow your Legendary Six Samurai Shi-En! I activate Mark of the Rose!"

"What!" Shi-En groaned as a rose tattoo appeared on its chest plate, signifying a change in houses. Shizaru watched helplessly as his loyal samurai tried to resist the power of the switch, but the power of roses was too much and Shi-En joined a smirking Tytannial on Rose`s side of the field.

"Hah! Now I can negate once per turn too! Both of you attack directly!" Rose cheerfully ordered. Tytannial struck first, creating barbed roots that shot out from the ground underneath Shizaru, causing the samurai to grunt in slight pain. However, the real pain came from his own samurai, who slashed his mid-section.

"Ngh-!"

**Shizaru: **2700

**Rose: **8000

"Hah! Already almost dead!" The ninja looked pleased with herself. "Told ya I could do it! Set one facedown card and end my turn!"

"Hmph! Shi-En, as per effect of your Mark of the Rose, returns back to me now!" Shizaru reminded Rose as his samurai broke free of its invisible restraints and returned back to its true master`s field…for now. "I draw and summon this monster! Legendary Six Samurai- Shinai! And with that comes another special summon, Legendary Six Samurai- Mizuho!"

On the field, to the right of Shi-En, a blue armored samurai wielding dual clubs appeared (ATK/1500 DEF/1500). On the field, to the left of Shi-En, a pink armored samurai wielding dual sickles appeared (ATK/1600 DEF/1000).

"Wow, obsessed about symmetry?"

"Shut up. I activate Asceticism of the Six Samurai on Mizuho to special summon Hand of the Six Samurai!" On the field, a jug appeared over Mizuho and poured its contents over the samurai, causing her to gleam brightly. The liquid took shape in the form of human and was scattered apart almost immediately by the flames within. A small hooded woman wielding a dagger appeared from the flames, unfazed by the fire surrounding her (ATK/1600 DEF/1000).

"Uh-oh!"

"My Hand of the Six Samurai now sacrifices Shinai to destroy your Tytannial!" The blue armored man and the princess of camellias both erupted into flames, the samurai accepting his fate silently while the woman shrieked out as fire burned her flesh into ashes. "Now, attack!"

"Hah! Mirror Force!" A shining reflective barrier was erected in front of Rose and she laughed, feeling triumphant in the duel. Who's the inexperience one now?

"Negate it Shi-En!"

"ARE YOU FREAKING KIDDING ME!?" Rose yelled in frustration and anger as her invincible shield shattered under the power of the Six Samurai. "That card is seriously- argh!"

Apparently, taking three different virtual blades to the stomach hurts a LOT.

**Shizaru: **2700

**Rose: **2300

"I end my turn with two facedown cards. Hand of the Six Samurai is destroyed," Shizaru calmly said as his own assassin erupted in flames and disappeared.

"Argh, you`re going to pay for that! First of all, Mark of the Rose kicks in and Shi-En is now my servant!" The powerful samurai groaned once more as the power of roses compelled it to walk away and join his opponent. "Now, prepare to witness the true face of terror! I summon Cherry Inmato!"

Shizaru held his breath, expecting some sort of giant cherry eating monster to erupt from the ground and start controlling the field. What he did NOT expect were two small cherry monsters wearing oversized pajamas appearing, running around in their monster area like headless chickens (ATK/700 DEF/400).

"What the-"

"They`re just the tuners," Rose explained before grinning sadistically. "Now here is where the fun begins! I use my Cherry Inmato to tune up Shi-En!"

"As if he needs any tuning," Shizaru grumbled, watching his prized sycro monster disappear in a flash of…roses? That`s right, instead of light, the monsters had dissolved into black rose petals. "Okay…what`s going on?"

"There`s a reason there exits only one of her in existence." Rose`s head was down, her white hair covering her face as she held her hand up. "And I own her for a good reason! I`ll show you my power Shizaru!"

"Black roses…it can`t be!"

"The cold flame envelops the entire world," Rose chanted. "Black flower, bloom! Synchro Summon! Appear, BLACK ROSE DRAGON!"

"No!" Shizaru covered himself as a large blast of wind was sent everywhere, raising his robe up and rattling his other katana. On the field, a majestic dragon appeared on the field, rose petals making up its scales and wings. Thorns erupted all around it, corrupting the field with the power of the Black Rose (ATK/2400 DEF/1800).

_Black Rose Dragon_

_Syncro LV 7 monster_

_1 Tuner + 1 or more non-Tuner monsters_

_When this card is Synchro Summoned: You can destroy all cards on the field. Once per turn: You can banish 1 Plant-Type monster from your Graveyard to target 1 Defense Position monster your opponent controls; change that target to face-up Attack Position, and reduce its ATK to 0 until the End Phase._

"Such power!" Shizaru gasped, actually in shock from the summoning. "The most graceful of all five legendary syncro dragons…how did you get this card?!"

"That`s a secret for another time, but right now," Rose pointed at her powerful dragon and it began to glow. "I activate her effect! I`m going to destroy all the cards on the field! Black Rose Impact!"

"Chain! Reckless Greeds!" Shizaru quickly flipped over his two last cards and drew four cards before his deck locked up from the trap card. "Now you have nothing to destroy, but my Mizuho!"

"!" Rose`s expression remained shocked as her dragon exploded on the field, scattering rose petals everywhere. Mizuho was caught in the blast and got destroyed, her twin sickles sinking into the ground amidst a floor of roses. "…well at least it looked cool…"

"My turn!" Shizaru didn`t even wait for his opponent to acknowledge her turn`s end and activated his winning card. "I summon another Legendary Six Samurai- Kageki and use his effect to special summon Spirit of the Six Samurai!"

The same figure who appeared in the beginning of the duel appeared once more, his four katanas whirling in anticipation (ATK/200 DEF/2000). However, the next monster was new. A traditional samurai armor figure appeared on the field, but the armor inside was empty, held together only by a ghostly outline (ATK/500 DEF/500).

"Well, I can probably say that I`m screwed," Rose flatly said.

"True, especially with this card: Cunning of the Six Samurai! I tribute Kageki and special summon back Legendary Six Samurai-Shi En back from the grave!"

The four armed samurai glowed red and disappeared, replaced by Shizaru`s strongest monster, eager to return for the sake of honor (ATK/2500 DEF/1400).

"Yep, definitely screwed."

"I equip Spirit to Shi-En…" The bodiless armor crumpled to the floor as the ghost within hopped into Shi-En`s armor, empowering him even further. "…and attack for game!"

"Crap."

**Shizaru: **2700

**Rose: **0

"Argh! Dammit all!" Rose stomped her feet in anger as Shizaru stored his duel disk. "I was so close! I just mistimed it!"

"You were close," Shizaru calmly responded. "Had you held out a bit more, you could have very well won that game."

"Dammit…" Rose fell to her knees and stared at the unscarred ground. Her cards, no longer held up by the holographic duel disk, fell to the floor without care, Rose`s prized Black Rose Dragon seemingly glaring at her. "I guess I`m just not good enough yet…"

"...on the contrary, you passed."

"What?" Rose looked up and saw Shizaru extending a hand out to her. Confused, she took the hand and saw Shizaru smile.

"It was a test. I knew that you`re probably new to dueling based off how terrible your ninja skills were-"

"Hey!"

"But based off the duel…you have the famed Black Rose Dragon." Shizaru grabbed the discarded syncro monster and placed it in her hand. "And you have spirit. Both of those combined together is a dangerous combination that I want to have on my side."

"So…I can join you?" Her eyes were now shining with happiness and anticipation as Shizaru laughed at her question

"The answer is yes. Rose, as of today, you are now a ninja with a master."

"YES!" Rose leapt up and grabbed Shizaru`s hands, shaking them up and down frantically. "Thankyouthankyouthankyou! I`ll get settled in soon!"

"Haha, I`m glad you`re- wait, what?!"

"Oops, I forgot to mention: I kinda need a place to crash out at." Rose smiled cheekily. "So I`ll live with you!"

"!" Shizaru couldn`t react as Rose bounded away happily. Soon, his nose began to bleed a waterfall of blood as some rather crude…images in his mind. Oh Ra. What has he gotten himself into now!?


	5. Y, 5

Disclaimer: I don`t own Yugioh or its affliates

Chapter 5: Deceiving Liar

"Alright people, we have another infiltration mission today!" Cora announced, typing on her keyboard. She was a blonde with green eyes, her hair cut short to avoid any annoying issues with it covering her eyes from the laptop screen. The short 17 year old girl was wearing a grey hoodie and tan trousers today, completely forgoing her normal outfits. Being incognito was essential today. "We`ve tracked down and have discovered another NEXT Laboratory outsourced building!"

"Bah." Field operative Erik merely crossed his arms and glared at the screen. It was currently a slideshow of photos, taken outside of this building in question. "That`s what you said last week. And the week before that. And the week before-"

"Okay, okay! So maybe my Intel isn`t always that great." Cora grinned sheepishly. "But this time, I`m sure of it!"

"That`s what you said last time as well."

"Oh, shut up," Cora finally snapped. "Point is, today we are going to infiltrate, hack, and leave this building. Sounds easy enough right?"

"Once again, last time before the explosives went off. Check the status of practically abandoned buildings next time…especially if they are marked for DEMOLITION!"

"You two, shut up already." Field operative Desmond was looking bored as Erik, staring at the screen with no emotions. An 18 year old, Desmond had striking purple hair and dark grey eyes. He wore a plain white shirt and black trousers, with a checkered pattern cloak. Desmond swiveled around in his chair, showing off his lack of interest in the argument. "Cora, how sure are you of this info?"

"100%." A pointed glare from both Erik and Desmond.

"Okay, 80%." Another glare.

"Fine! 60%! Seriously, that`s how sure I am of this info!" Cora threw up her hands, carefully balancing her laptop so that it didn`t fall off her lap. "You can`t expect me to keep hacking the secure sites! For all we know, they could very well be tracking us!"

A knock on the door caused the trio of agents to flinch in surprise. Quickly, Erik moved to the wall and closed his eyes, as if he was listening to music. Cora switched projects, making it seem as though she was busy looking at news article. Desmond got off his chair and walked over to the metallic door, pressing the green button. The door hissed open, revealing a familiar face.

"Captain Lance."

Of course he would be here. Cora, Erik, and Desmond were in a private area of Sector Security HQ, the hub of all police activity in Neo Domino city. The three agents shared a work room together, a plain office with three desks for each person.

Then again, only Cora used hers for working purposes. Erik used his for sleeping and Desmond used his for playing solitaire.

The youngest member of Sector Security nodded and asked, "May I come in? I have a message from the Chief."

"Of course." And with that confirmation, the blond hair boy walked in. Known famously for his eye patch, Captain Lance was the one who got the job done. His blond hair refused to bend under his police hat and spiked upwards while Lance`s blue eyes carefully scanned the room. He was wearing the traditional Sector Security uniform with several medals on his chest; a tribute to good he was at his job.

"Hey Lance!" Cora waved from her desk. "How`s work going?"

At the question, Lance groaned. "You have no idea the incredible work load I`m getting these days. Seriously, five break-ins in the last month! And don`t even get me started on the rate of robbery in the Sattelite!"

"So…I take that it is going well then?" Cora asked rather nervously. It wouldn`t do for them to reveal the story behind those break-ins.

"Yeah, let`s just go with that. Here you go." Lance reached into his pocket and pulled out a USB flash drive. "The chief was insistent that it was your eyes only and password locked it. Password hint he gave was, and I quote, 'What the hell have you been doing?'"

"…" Cora stared blankly at the flash drive and grabbed it, quickly accessing it on her laptop.

"Anyway, it was nice seeing you again. Drinks later tonight, Erik and Desmond?"

"Not today, sorry." Desmond shook his head and gestured to the door. "We should get back to work."

"Okay, then I`ll talk to you guys later." With that, Lance closed the door behind him and Desmond immediately locked it.

"What do you have?" Erik had finally moved and was now sitting back at his chair, waiting for an answer.

"Confirmation!" Cora eagerly replied. "Password was easy to guess, it was NEXT. The drive contains pictures of the uniforms the guards at the building used and guess what they have?" To point it out even further, she projected the image onto the giant screen in the room and enlarged it.

"Damn NEXT logos." Erik was moving once more, reaching into his desk and grabbing his equipment: a small wrist ring and a gauntlet. He spoke while placing on the two items, carefully making sure that he had flash bangs and coughing gas ready. "I guess you were correct."

"Told you!" Cora stuffed her laptop into its bag and putting on her white headset. "Hey, Desmond, how do I look? Just bought these yesterday!"

"The more important question is, do they work?" Desmond opened his drawer and took out his mission equipment: two white gloves, an earphone, and a deck. The gloves went over his hands. The deck went into a deck box on his belt. The duel disk, he could easily pick one up on the go if necessary.

"They work fine. Now, let`s go!"

O O O

"_Now remember people: this evening! That`s when Champion Grey will talk about the new ban list!_" Desmond`s radio blared through both Cora`s and Erik`s communication gear as they skated down the roads on their Hover Boards, the duo switching places often as possible to keep an eye out on all sides. Cora`s laptop (in its bag) and Erik`s left arm gauntlet were connected to their respective Duel Boards via a cable, relying all the vehicle information to a small eye reticule both of them wore.

Desmond was in-between them, wearing a white helmet and crouched over his customized Duel Runner. He had basically taken a Sector Security Duel Runner and elongated it, making it so that the rider would have to basically "hug" the body. Of course, the paint job was white and black, with no logos. Completely unidentifiable.

"Do you think we`ll be able to make it back to catch the broadcast?" Desmond calmly asked, knowing his two colleagues would be able to hear him despite all the noise via the system all three vehicles had. "I want to see if I should make any changes to my deck."

"Nah." Cora swerved and overtook Desmond, careful to make sure her balance was accurate. "It`s already early afternoon, so we`ll be back late evening at earliest."

"That assumes that everything goes to plan." Erik slowed down and flipped his board, letting both Desmond and Cora move in front of him before accelerating back up to cruise speed. "Worst time we get back will be…maybe tomorrow morning?"

"That is only if we really did screw up!" Cora replied, moving to Desmond`s left as the three reached Daedalus Bridge. "And I`m pretty sure we haven`t reached that point yet!"

"Bah, you never know," Erik grimly said, moving to Desmond`s right. "That may be today."

"Cheer up Erik." Desmond pointed ahead, keeping one hand on the handle bars. "Grimmest place on Earth just right ahead."

"Finally. Race you." And with that, Erik revved up his Duel Board and shot off. Cora shook her head, but raised her speed and followed him in. Desmond, never the one to lag behind, grinned and sped up, breaking the speed limit without any care in the world.

Sometimes, being on the good and bad side had its benefits.

The three soon pulled over, having reached their destination after breaking several traffic laws. Without a word, they got to work, getting into position for infiltration. Erik got off his hover board and tossed it casually to Cora. She caught it, nodded confirmation, and sped off on her own board, finding a secure place nearby to settle down.

Erik walked over to the nearest pipe and sighed, actually turning on his music before running up. His boots activated the minute his feet touched the length of metal, allowing the black haired boy to run up the building essentially undetected.

As for Desmond, he parked the Duel Runner in an alleyway nearby and took off his helmet, making sure that it was locked before strolling down the filthy street, the target building right down the lane.

"Erik? You in position?" Cora`s voice came over Desmond`s earphone, her voice crystal clear among the rapid taping in the background. "Just as expected, the firewall outside is pretty darn strong. Gotta go direct."

"Alright, wait…Hey, you there! Weird ninja girl!" Erik was obviously shouting at someone else on the rooftop. "Get off the roof! What? Don`t speak to me like that!"

"Oh, you idiot…" Desmond sighed as he noted the number of guards outside. Way too many to go unnoticed. He turned at the next opportunity and moved into yet another alleyway, easily scaling a chain link fence to get to the street across. And the backdoor of the building.

What do you know? Only one guard. Excellent.

"Good day! How do you do this fine day?" Desmond casually asked, walking up to the guard without a care in the world.

"…" The guard stared blankly at him in an attempt to intimidate Desmond, but it was hard to tell a guy who was easily a few inches taller than you to piss off.

"I feel as though today is going to be a rather exciting day for both myself and-" Without warning, Desmond made his move and stepped to the side of the guard. The guard flinched, giving Desmond the opening he needed and the boy smiled sadistically, slamming his hand into the guard`s neck. The pressure Desmond applied was exact, blocking several vital nerves in the guard and caused the poor man to pass out instantly, not even given a real chance to retaliate. "You, but I think that the excitement just passed," Desmond finished his sentence and stepped backwards.

No witnesses. Excellent.

Desmond dragged the limp body futher into the alleyway, making sure nobody could see him before making his move. He grabbed the guard roughly by the collar and focused, making sure all his thoughts were focused on the guard`s uniform. The two white gloves glowed white as Desmond`s clothing changed, the cloak he wore transforming into a blue jacket and the clothes underneath changing approriately to a black and blue outfit. Within seconds, Desmond was now disguised in a security guard`s clothing, an exact replica of the lone guard lying on the floor.

Whistling merrily, Desmond took the guard`s security card and duel disk, making sure that he turned off the guard`s pager before leaving. He casually walked to the back door and pulled his hair down, carefully making sure that his face wasn`t visible before inserting the security guard and opening the door. As expected, a camera illuminated by a blinking red light greeted him. Desmond waved to the camera without showing his face and moved into the facility itself.

Soon, Desmond encountered other guards. Normally, if they were alert and aware, detecting Desmond`s inflitration would have been very easy to do since he didn`t have the proper ID displayed on his jacket. But it was the afternoon and people tend to slack off during this time, so they merely accepted what they wanted to believe.

Frankly, it made inflitration child`s play.

"Sorry about that, the girl was being really annoying," Erik`s voice came through Desmond`s earphone as he moved passed several other guards, the disguised agent silently mapping the facility. "Anyway, entry points?"

"There is an air vent system directly below you, but the system locks it down systematically," Cora`s voice joined the conversation as Desmond opened a door and walked into an empty room filled with cameras. His eyes scanned the multitude of panels nearby, looking for a certain one. "Desmond, I need you to shut down the locks on the air vents."

"Way ahead of you already," Desmond muttered and flipped a few switches. One of the red lights nearby turned green, as if something opened up.

Immediately, Erik confirmed the action. "I`m in."

"Left, then right, then right again," Cora directed. "That should take you to the computer hub. Desmond, go for the paperwork please."

"Right." Desmond shut the door behind him as he exited the security room and continued walking down the hallway, turning corners and keeping an eye out for any interesting rooms. He soon found a door at the end of the facility, requiring a code for access inside.

"Found the port. Expect the firewall in a few seconds," Erik announced as Desmond knelt closer to the keypad, examining the nine number pad. "Confirm?"

Making sure nobody was looking in his direction, the disguised boy ran his fingers over the keypad, feeling how loose some of the buttons were. Four exactly. Trial and error was all that was needed now.

"Confirm. Ready to recieve," Cora replied to Erik.

Got it! Desmond opened the door and slipped in, shutting it behind him with barely any noise. The boy grinned as he discovered an unoccupied office with several filing cabinets. Perfect.

"Inserting now," Erik said.

Desmond quickly took an entire stack of files from one of the drawers and skimmed through it, his mind processing all the legal documents within. Nothing of importance in this first file.

"Got it. Breaking through firewall now." Cora`s furious typing could be heard in the background.

Another stack. Nothing.

"I should get going…"

"Not yet!" Desmond snarled under his breath. He rushed through the third stack of files. Bills, salary reports…nothing! The boy wanted to tear his mask off and stomp on it in anger. Where were the stinking important files!?

An alarm suddenly blared and Desmond`s outfit shimmered before reverting back to his standard cloak. Erik`s unmanly yelp of pain was heard as Desmond swore bitterly.

"Ow! The heck happened Cora?!" Erik shouted into his hidden microphone.

"Oh, breaking radio silence are we now?" The blonde retorted hastily. "Turns out that they found the guy Desmond knocked out in the back entrance. They`re going to find me soon. Get out of there now!"

"Dammit!" Desmond growled and moved to the door. To his surprise, somebody was already beginning to open it as he reached for the handle. Immediately, Desmond sidestepped, pressed to the wall, and waited with baited breath as the door opened right next to him. A somewhat distraught scientist rushed in, mumbling under his breath about the sudden alarm. When the man saw the files all over the desk, he groaned and began shifting through them.

Normally, Desmond would take this opportunity to sneak out without any further risks, but he managed to overhear what the scientist was mumbling.

"Blasted psychics…always hiding everything of importance…"

Psychics? Desmond quietly snuck up to the man and grabbed him by the throat, cutting off any shouts the man might`ve give off. "Where are the important files?"

"Ack! I`m not telling you anything!" The man gave a strangled sound as Desmond increased the pressure. His eyes, Desmond noted, were not focused on the assailant but rather…ah.

"Night night." Desmond applied full pressure and caused the scientist to pass out. The boy turned and grinned as he spied the hidden cache right above the doorway. Only those who would`ve had looked carefully could have noticed the barely noticeable shape in the wall. Carefully, Desmond reached and pulled the box down, ignoring the blaring alarm as he dropped the cache onto the office desk.

There was only one file inside, but it could mean everything. As Desmond opened it up, he immediately knew that he had found something big. About time the Task Force could find something.

Quickly storing the file under his cloak, Desmond grabbed the unconscious scientist`s body and his own clothes shimmered before turning into the unconscious man`s. He would`ve preferred the guard outfit in this situation, but he needed an undiscovered body to do so. The scientist had a duel disk on him, so Desmond took it. If it was standard for scientists to have duel disks, walking around without one would seem a bit suspicious. On the other hand, if it wasn`t standard, the same could be said.

Desmond exited the office, making sure he placed back the hidden cache to buy some time. The hallways seem to be empty of guards, so that was good. Probably more focused on Erik or something like that.

"Way too easy…" Erik muttered as Desmond fast-walked, careful of any cameras. "Cora, I`m out. Come to the…south building. I`ll meet you there."

"It`ll take some time! I`m…dammit! Reveal three Spellbooks! Priestess, special summon!"

Desmond turned the corner and spotted the lobby. He was so close to escape. The only thing between him and escape was a figure wearing a pure white cloak. They were facing the doors, so their backside was right now exposed.

"Excuse me sir!" Desmond said in a slightly higher octave than normal, pretending to be a panicking scientist. The figure turned and Desmond resisted to urge to flinch as he looked into a black mask covering the figure`s face, only blue eyes shining through the darkness. "I must get out of here for the sake of NEXT! Please, let-"

"You`re not a scientist," The figure robotically responded and with remarkable speed, grabbed Desmond`s face with his right hand. The hand glowed blindingly as Desmond`s mask short circuited from the power overload.

"!" Desmond jerked away as his entire figure glitched and reset itself back to his standard outfit. It was very lucky that his mask was still working. "Oh, dammit! How did you see through my disguise?!"

"Nothing can hide from the light," The figure spoke with a blank voice. "It is advised that you surrender now, since your partners in crime just got caught."

"Heh, forgive me for my opinion, but I highly doubt it." Desmond raised his stolen duel disk and activated it, the blue power core humming as it registered its new deck. "I`m going to challenge you to a duel!"

"Resist like your friends, but it will most likely be for naught." The figure raised an arm from under the cloak, a white duel disk already powered up. "Now, amuse me."

"DUEL!"

**Desmond: **8000

**?: **8000

"I`m going kick this duel off! Draw!" Desmond drew and examined carefully. _Gah, not this turn. _"I`ll set four cards: one monster and three spells or traps! Your move!"

"Pitiful, like your companion. Draw." The figure paused and picked out two cards. "I first activate Constellar Star Chart! Following that, I`ll activate Mystical Space Typhoon and destroy that middle facedown of yours!"

On the field, opposite to Desmond`s facedowns, a weird symbol shone in the air, casting a bright light over one of the slots. However, in another slot, a raging tornado appeared and moved right onto one of Desmond`s cards.

"Chain the targeted card! Mystical Space Typhoon! Say goodbye to your Star Chart!" Desmond grinned as he revealed the targeted card. The figure did not react as the two tornados collided with one another and exploded, taking the light with them.

"A setback…I summon Constellar Leonis!" The air on the field glowed with another symbol, but instead of just shining, a figure appeared from within the light. A silver armored man leaped out, blue crystals glowing all over his armor as he wielded blades made up of energy (ATK/1000 DEF/1800).

"That`s really bright," Desmond commented as the light dissipated from the summoning. "I`m pretty sure you can get some degree of blindness from that."

"Leonis grants me the power to normal summon once more per turn," The opponent ignored Desmond and continued on with their turn. "So I sacrifice Leonis to normal summon Constellar Virgo!"

The warrior with blue blades saluted before disappearing in a twinkle of stars. Yet another symbol appeared and a woman in sliver armor appeared, psychically levitating a giant tri-bladed weapon (ATK/2300 DEF/1600). "Her effect grants me the power to special summon a level five Constellar from my hand, so meet Constellar Zubeneschamali!"

"How many damn times are you going to summon this turn?!" Desmond growled. Virgo`s weapon glowed and an armored figure with long claws appeared, brandishing them with relish (ATK/2100 DEF/1400).

"His effect grants me the ability to add one Constellar to my hand." The figure took a card and added it to their deck. "Now, I construct an overlay network using Constellar Virgo and Zubeneschamali! Rank 5 summon! Constellar Pleiades!"

The two monsters of the stars nodded in response to their master`s command and transformed into dual white orbs that circled around each other as a figure appeared. A warrior with gold and white armor was summoned, wielding a golden charkram as two orbs of power circled him (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Constellar Pleiades grants me the ability to detach and return one card back to your hand! Thus, I use his effect!" Pleiades held up his charkram as one of the power orbs went inside it, releasing the energy within as he sent a wave of pure energy towards Desmond. It swept passed most of his cards, but it blasted one of his two remaining facedown cards back into his hand.

_That was lucky... _Desmond thought. His last facedown card was the important one.

"I`ll set one card facedown and attack!"

"Trap card activate! Magic Cylinder!" Desmond flipped over his trap card and two identical ceramic jars appeared on the field. As Pleiades struck out and sent a shockwave of energy against Desmond`s hidden monster, one of the jars absorbed the hit and the energy disappeared. It reappeared in the twin jar, blasting the attacker in the chest.

"Ugh-!"

**Desmond: **8000

**?: **5500

"Now, if that is your turn, I`ll draw to begin mine!" Desmond smiled as he drew the perfect card for this situation. "I activate Necrovalley!"

_Necrovalley_

_Field spell card_

_All "Gravekeeper's" monsters gain 500 ATK and DEF. Cards in either player's Graveyard cannot be banished. Negate any card effect that would move a card in the Graveyard, other than itself, to a different place._

The field around them changed, turning from the lobby into a barren valley, devoid of all life. The sun glowed dully orange above them, casting down on the duel from above. "Now that I have a field card, I can special summon Malefic Cyber End Dragon from my hand!"

The sand in front of Desmond shifted as a dark portal appeared above, waiting for its sacrifice. Without second thought, Desmond tossed one of the most powerful fusion monsters to exist into the portal, creating a warped and twisted form of the mechanical dragon. The portal exploded as the transformation was completed, a sinister version of Cyber End Dragon descending upon the field (ATK/4000 DEF/2800).

"They wear a mask, just as you do," The opponent noted, then pointed to Pleiades. "But just like you, they are vulnerable at heart! I activate my Pleiades` effect to detach and return that being of darkness back to where it came from!"

"Oh dear," Was all Desmond could say as his monster was blasted back into his hand. "That was a stupid mistake on your part."

"What?" The figure jolted in surprise.

"You see, Malefics will always return, like this! I special summon my Malefic Cyber End Dragon by simply removing from play another copy of the fusion!"

"Another copy?! Impossible!"

The dark portal appeared once more as Desmond tossed the fusion card once more into it, giving it little regard as the dark side of Cyber End Dragon was revealed, casting a malevolent aura onto the field (ATK/4000 DEF/2800).

"Now, I flip summon Gravekeeper`s Spy!" Desmond announced. "And using his effect, I special summon Gravekeeper`s Cannonholder!"

The facedown monster was revealed to be a man wrapped in a mystical black cloak (ATK/1200 DEF/2000). He raised an arm and another man appeared, wearing a similar black cloak but was holding a wooden ancient cannon as well (ATK/1400 DEF/1200). Despite the field being a barren wasteland, both monster actually seemed comfortable with the desert valley and gained 500 in all stats.

"Since Malefic Cyber End Dragon prevents other monsters from attacking, I`ll simply inflict damage another way with my Gravekeepers!" Desmond pointed at his newly summoned monster. "And Gravekeeper`s Cannonholder is perfect, since he causes effect damage! Spy, sacrifice yourself and blast the enemy for 700 life point damage!"

The cloaked man transformed into a ball of dark magic, which went into the wooden cannon. Cannonholder hefted the weapon much like an RPG, aimed carefully, and then fired. The blast of magic slammed into the masked person, causing them to growl in annoyance.

**Desmond: **8000

**?: **4800

"Barely a scratch!" The figure growled.

"Every little bit counts," Desmond reminded his opponent. "Now, Malefic Cyber End Dragon! Attack Pleiades!"

The dark mechanical dragon roared and the mouths of its three heads opened up, each of them individually charging a beam made of darkness. When it was ready, all three heads simultaneously fired, the three attacks combining into one massive beam of dark energy that Pleiades had absolutely no defense against. Thus, the masked figure got blasted with the beam as well when it pierced through the monster.

"Ah!"

**Desmond: **8000

**?: **3300

"Set one card! End turn!" Desmond placed a single defense down and passed the turn over to his opponent.

"The light will always shine through! Draw!" The figure laughed as they discovered their next card. "An appropriate draw! First, I summon Constellar Pollux! His ability grants me an additional normal summon, so I`ll follow it with Constellar Kaus!"

_Constellar Kaus_

_Level 4 Beast-warrior monster_

_Cannot be used as a Synchro Material Monster. Up to twice per turn: You can target 1 "Constellar" Monster on the field to activate 1 of these effects; _

● _Increase its Level by 1._

● _Decrease its Level by 1._

Two lights appeared on the field and revealed two monsters. The first one was a silver armored knight with a red cape, wielding a rapier with two blades on it (ATK/1700 DEF/600). The second one was a silver armored centaur, wielding a golden bow (ATK/1800 DEF/700).

"You know, there really isn`t a Rank 4 monster that will help you now…" Desmond began speaking, but his opponent cut him off.

"I use Constellar Kaus` ability to raise the levels of himself and Pollux, making them both level five monsters!" The centaur raised his bow up to the sky and fired two arrows. When they came down, they struck and melded with Kaus and Pollux, empowering them with just a slight increase in energy.

"Oh. Now it makes sense," Desmond finished.

"I construct an overlay network using Constellar Pollux and Kaus! Rank 5 summon! Constellar Pleiades, return to duty!" The warrior with gold and white armor appeared once more on the field, restored to full power with two orbs of power (ATK/2500 DEF/1500). "I use Pleiades` ability to detach and return Necrovalley back to your hand!"

"Er…why not my Malefic Cyber End Dragon?" The agent cautiously asked.

"Because your darkness will be purified by the lack of a disguise!" The figure triumphantly said as Pleiades sent a shockwave of energy into the ground, consuming one of the power orbs. The field faded out as Necrovalley was returned to Desmond`s hand.

_Be it as it may, they`re right. Without a field card…_ The dark form of Cyber End Dragon roared in pain as the lack of a field was unable to hide it from the light of the real world and the monster exploded. _My Malefics self-destruct!_

"With that field card out of the way, I activate my trap card, XYZ reborn! Return, Pleiades!" The knight that had fallen earlier in the duel rose back up, eager to serve once again as a single purple orb of energy orbited the monster (ATK/2500 DEF/1500).

"Oh, this isn`t good!"

"Once again, I use Pleiades` ability to return your last monster back to the hand!" The knight`s charkram absorbed the purple colored ball of energy and the resulting shockwave left Desmond with only a facedown card in terms of defense. "Now, both of you attack!"

The two identical knights leapt forward and slashed: one to the right, one to the left. Desmond gasped and grabbed his midsection in pain. The figure, under the mask, smiled.

"Are you still able to keep up with this duel now? Now that you`re bleeding rather badly?"

"…I have no idea what you`re talking about!" Desmond smirked and straightened out, showing no signs of physical injury on his body.

**Desmond: **3000

**?: **3300

"What the- no damage?" The figure took a hesitant step backwards. "But…there is supposed to be wounds!"

"As if. My draw!" Desmond`s face appeared to be grinning eagerly, completely throwing his opponent off game. "I activate Necrovalley once again! Along with it, my trap card, Rite of Spirit to bring back Gravekeeper`s Spy!"

As the field turned back into a lifeless valley, a sarcophagus rose out of the sand and opened up, revealing the spy of the Gravekeepers crouching in defense mode (ATK/1200 DEF/2000). "I`ll set another monster facedown and end my turn!"

"Draw. I activate Pleiades` ability to detach and return Necrovalley back to your hand!"

"Okay, this is getting really old now," Desmond complained as the shockwave eradicated the barren landscape. "Seriously, do something different!"

"Attack both his monsters!" The white cloaked duelist ordered and the two Pleiades attacked. The results were one Gravekeeper`s Spy destroyed and…another Gravekeeper`s Spy?

"Flip effect activates! I special summon Gravekeeper`s Assailant to the field!" A cloaked figure wearing a black mask and using a serrated sword appeared, holding his weapon backwards much like a dagger (ATK/1500 DEF/1500).

"I set one facedown card and that is my turn."

"Draw!" Desmond grinned as he showed the card he just drew to his opponent. "What do you know? Another Gravekeeper`s Assailant! I`ll summon him and activate Necrovalley once more!"

The field, without further ado, became a barren, lifeless valley as a second assassin appeared on the field, standing right next to its copy as it awaited orders (ATK/1500 DEF/1500).

"I attack with my Assailants!"

"Fool!" The figure hissed. "My monsters are infinitely more powerful than your mere servants. You will only bring harm to yourself now!"

"That`s what you think." Desmond smiled and snapped his fingers. The two assailants suddenly shimmered and disappeared, blending into the valley around them. "Like me, the Gravekeepers have mastered the art of disguise and subtlety. That means that we can strike where it hurts the most, such as…your defense position!"

"What!" The two assassins reappeared, right behind the two knights. In the back…their stats was reversed into defense! "But they are equal in defense stats! The armor is far too thick to pierce through!"

"Ah, but did you forget?" The wounded boy spread his arms and gestured to the area around them. "This is a sacred burial ground, thus my Gravekeepers will defend it till the last breath!"

The two swords glowed a dark black color as the souls of the dead poured into the assassin`s blades, enchanting them with the ability to pierce the thickest armor as they struck.

"No!" The cloaked figure watched in horror as his two knights fell, assassinated by his opponent. "You shall pay for that!"

"Oh? Then I end my turn and await your counterattack."

"Draw!" The figure didn`t even look at the card they`d draw and pointed to their facedown card. "I activate XYZ Reborn once again! Now, my Pleiades shall-"

Before they could finish the sentence, the trap exploded and sank into the sand, leaving no trace of it ever existing. "W-w-hat? What just happened?"

Desmond smirked yet again and gestured to the valley around them. "Didn`t I tell you this is sacred burial ground? The souls here cannot escape their eventual death or pass into the void…unless the proper rites are conducted."

"Then I set one monster and end my turn!"

"Draw!" Without hesitation, Desmond played the card he just drew. "I`ll show you the proper rites to help you. I tribute one of my Assailants to summon Gravekeeper`s Chief! And his effect is that I can resurrect one Gravekeeper without the interference of Necrovalley! "

One of the assassins disappeared and in his place was a man wearing black and white clothes of a priest (ATK/1900 DEF/1200). Upon his summoning, the man slammed a golden staff into the ground and chanted in ancient Egyptian. When he finished, he slammed the staff once again into the sand and the sand broke apart, revealing a sarcophagus. The burial casket opened and Gravekeeper`s Assailant rejoined the fight (ATK/1500 DEF/1500).

"Stop! I demand you to stop in the name of the light!"

"No can do, I`m more of the dark side kind of guy. Everyone, attack!"

The priest struck first, firing a bolt of dark magic at the facedown monster, which was Constellar Acubens (ATK/800 DEF/2000). It was unable to withstand the attack and exploded into millions of stars. To finish off the duel, the two assassins struck directly at the mysterious cloaked figure with their swords, the combined attack more than enough to end the game.

**Desmond: **3000

**?: **0

"How can this be? Me, the enforcer of light, defeated!?"

"Sucks to be you!" Desmond shouted as he dashed past the kneeling figure. They were too engrossed in their defeat to even care that their captive was escaping, which was fine by Desmond`s standards.

"Desmond!" A familiar voice shouted as Desmond ran outside, back in the streets of dingy Sattelite. Cora was racing down the street, on her Duel Board. She pulled up to him and hastily said, "Erik is by the south building. I`m going to try and pick him up. Get to your Duel Runner and regroup ASAP!"

"Got it!" Desmond nodded and the girl sped away, holding onto Erik`s Duel Board for dear life. He ran over to his parked Duel Runner and began to push it out, only to cough badly as pain racked his body.

Grimacing, Desmond took out the emergency first aid kit from the Duel Runner and allowed his disguise in the midsection area to fall, revealing two rather deep cuts. Blood trickled from them, soaking his sliced black shirt with blood. Ah, that can be replaced later.

The wounded boy quickly bandaged himself up with a rather rushed job. The white cloth was immediately soaked in blood, the cuts rather serious. He would fix it later at HQ. For now, he had to get everybody out of here!

**A/N: I`m afraid that this story is running into technical difficulties. Thus, don`t expect too many normal updates for a while.**


End file.
